The ________ is the part of the nail plate that extends beyond the nail bed.

The nail is a protective structure formed by two main components: keratin, which gives it its hardness, and calcium. It involves the modification of skin cells that are located in the area away from the fingers. As a curiosity, it should be noted that the nails grow 0.1 millimeters every day and this will depend on the age, the person, the finger, the time of the year or even the sport we practice.

The nail is characterized by a bright and smooth surface, but if we go further we discover that it is divided into several parts and each of them has a main function. Next, we expose the different parts that make up the nails.

The nail plate has the function of protecting us from external pressures (bone of the distal phalanx, sensitive fibers and soft parts).

When walking and resting the fingers on the ground, soft tissues tend to move upwards due to the reaction force of the soil and when they encounter the resistance of the nail plate, the contact surface increases, so that the distribution of pressures in The finger pulp is more balanced.

The nail plate is located on the interosseous ligaments. These act as tensioners directing the growth of the nail and as stabilizers of the finger avoiding rotations of the distal phalanx.

This part of the nail also helps propulsion. In the last phase of takeoff, the lever arm that forms the distal phalanx increases and helps the flexor muscle in the last impulse against the ground.

The nail bed is the continuation of the matrix. It acts as a support platform for the nail plate and plays a vital role in the health, color and texture of the nail. The plate is attached to the nail bed by grooves that extend from the matrix to almost the fingertips, where it separates to form a free edge.

The free edge is the part of the nail that is not attached to the nail bed. That is, the area that we must cut to maintain good hygiene. The nail is free when it reaches the hypony.