NailKnowledge

The onychodermal band is the “natural smile line” of the nail unit, where nail bed epithelium bunches up to pass through  the tight seal of the hyponychium creating a grey line at the edge of the nail bed before the free edge of the nail plate. Ask the Experts What is the onychodermal band? The […]

Nail Bed Epithelium Thin epithelium tissue on top of the nail bed dermis and under the nail plate, which allows nail plate to glide across, while remaining strongly attached to the underlying nail bed through interlocking ridges and grooves. Image Gallery

The lunula is the distal edge of the nail matrix and is the half-moon shape by or under the proximal nail edge, occasionally, visible through the nail plate. Most prominent on the thumbs, this is an area vulnerable to damage as it is full of slightly soft nail cells which are not fully  keratinised. Decoding the

The nail plate is created in the nail matrix, where skin cells are modified and keratinised to become the hard, flat cells of the nail plate. It is the most visible part of the whole nail unit, covering the area from the nail matrix to the free edge and beyond. While it may appear to

The cuticle is created by the eponychium on the ventral (on underside) surface of the proximal nail fold.  The cuticle is formed of sticky dead skin cells that are shed by the living skin of the PNF just like the skin cells are from any surface of epidermis but instead of falling off in flakes,

The eponychium is an area of specialized skin cells that include adult stem cells, is located on the ventral side of the proximal nail fold that produces the cuticle. This thin layer stretches from the nail matrix almost up to the keratinised epidermis frame at the nail plate’s base. It is essential to understand that

The nail matrix is the most important structure within the nail unit. This is where new nail plate cells are created and as these new cells are created, older cells are pushed forward and the nail plate grows. The size and shape of the matrix exert a profound influence on the characteristics of the nail.

The proximal nail fold is the layer of epidermis and dermis covering the nail matrix, from the proximal edge of the nail plate to the first joint of the finger. Where the proximal nail fold meets the nail plate, it folds back on itself to create a colourless, keratinised frame of epidermis which along with