External and internal structures of the nail

Nails are horn formations. They are among the appendages of the skin, have a lamellar structure and perform a protective function. The external and internal structures of the nail determined their unique properties. The nail is a layer of dead keratin, necessary so that the delicate endings of the fingers are not subjected to strong mechanical effects.

Part of the nail - the fabric, where the growth begins, is called the matrix. This is the part of the finger that separates the skin from the nail plate. If this site is damaged, the irregularities of the nails, and their stopping in growth - these are only minimal consequences. The nail begins with a nail root. It is located under the skin. The root and matrix are protected from external influences due to the nail fold. They are known to many as cuticles. Above the fold is a lupule, which acts as a kind of continuation of the matrix. Even after the exit of the nail for the lupule, the process of solidification, as before, does not stop. Many people ask why nails curl. It's simple, just because the nail, already on the surface of the skin, is still at the stage of formation and is easily exposed to any impact, and accordingly bends. The process of compaction of the nail plate begins in the matrix, by compressing kerotinocytes.

External features of the structure of the nail are elementary. The nail is a horny plate of a pinkish hue that is outside the lupule. Nail bed carries the transportation of blood with air molecules, which ensures the presence of a pinkish hue. The process is due to a large number of capillaries. Kutila tightly blocks the access of air and moisture to the nail plate. This ensures the creation of optimal conditions for its formation. The nail plate is surrounded on all sides by rollers: posterior and lateral.

Internal features of the nail structure are significantly different from the external ones. Important elements are the bony phalanx and dermis, the nail plate itself and its root, the matrix and hypochinia, as well as the bridle and the nail roller located at the rear. Rollers are skin seals located in a place where the skin gradually passes into a plate. It is there that they form sinuses. The thickness of the nails, as a rule, varies in the range from 0.3 to 0.45 millimeters. When the width reaches an index of 0.5 to 0.6 millimeters, this indicates a disease such as hyperkeratosis.

The structure of the skin, from which the nail consists, differs significantly from the typical human body. First of all, the nail plate completely lacks the fatty layer. In return, the papillary layer of the dermis is characterized by intensive development. With its help, scallops and grooves are formed. The mesh layer of the dermis is a collagen ligament, which acts as a nail fixing device. These ligaments form the basic structure of the nail, namely its shape. Above the papillary layer there is a growth epithelium, the posterior part of which is known as the matrix. Some scientists repeatedly insisted that the layer of the epithelium on the nail bed is part of the matrix, or rather its continuation. The germ part itself is the base on which the nail is located. The top layer is the nail plate. For it, the presence of such intermediate layers as spiny and granular, and also shiny, is not peculiar. The external and internal structure of the nail and its peculiarities determined the unique process of formation of the nail plate. If the process is broken (at least at one stage of growth and plate formation), it can cause nail disease.