The purpose of the fingernail that it act as a protective plate and enhance sensation of the fingertip. The nail acts as a counterforce to the fingertip providing even more sensory input when an object is touched.

That nails are made up of a hard, curved plate of keratin. Keratin is a protein that is also a main ingredient of the hair and skin. Did you know that the nail grows at different rates due to age,nutrition,and health factors. Under the best conditions, a nail grows about.004 in a day or 1/8 of an in each month. It takes about six months for a new nail to grow from the cuticle to tip.

The parts of the nail is the root, nail bed, nail plate, eponychium(cuticle), perionychium, and hyponychium, proximal nail fold, lateral nail fold, side walls, distal edge. If either of these functions are disrupted can result in an abnormal appearing fingernail

Nail Root: (a.k.a germinal matrix)- The root is under the skin behind the fingernail and extends several millimeters into the finger. Its produces most of the volume of the nail Nail Bed-this is part of the nail matrix called the sterile matrix. It comes from the germinal matrix or the lunula, to the hypoychium. In the nail bed it contains blood vessels, and melanocytes, or melanin-producing cells. Nail Plate- It is actually the fingernail, made of translucent keratin. The pink appearance the nail comes from the blood vessels underneath the nail under the plate has grooves along the length of the nail that helps anchor the nail down Cuticle- is situated b/w the skin of the finger an the nail plate fusing the structures together and providing a waterproof barrier.

Perionychium- is the skin that overlies the nail plate on its sides. It is also known as the paronychial edge. The perionychium is the site of hangnails, ingrown nails, and an infection of the skin called paronychia. Hyponychium- is the area b/w the nail plate and the fingertip. This is the junction b/w the free edge of the nail and the skin of the tip of the finger, which is also a waterproof barrier. Proximal nail fold an Lateral Nail folds- are part of our skin, which folds on the edges and continues beneath. This skin acts as a protective barrier. Distal Edge-is the anterior margin of the nail plate corresponding to the abrasive or cutting edge of the nail

Infection/Symptoms/ Treatments Infection in the nail that occurs in the nail or nail bed is called paronychia. This happens when the barrier b/w the nail plate and underlying tissue gets torn or broken, which allows bacteria and germs to enter. Nail bed infections are usually highly contagious. The signs that come early are soreness and tenderness around the U shaped part of the nail bed that is covered by skin. The nail may have a yellowish green color if an abscess has formed underneath it. Treatment- most infection can be treated at home with OTC creams and oint. Soak infected nails in warm water for 10 minutes, three times a day. Also gently pull the skin away from the nail while you massage the area after soaking

Nail Biting Nail biting is common stress reliever, but biting your nail causes damages to the cuticles, in which can causes damages when your nail is growing in which could let germs and bacteria in you nail.

Word Bank Proximal nail fold Cuticle Lateral nail fold Distal edge Nail plate Lunula Eponychium