Milady - Nail Structure and Growth

Bed epithelium

thin layer of tissue between the nail plate

and the nail bed

Blue nails

condition caused by poor blood circulation,

a heart disorder, or topical and oral medications

Bruised nails

condition in which a blood clot forms under the

nail plate, forming a dark purplish spot, usually

due to injury

Corrugations

wavy ridges; caused by uneven growth of the nails,

usually the result of illness or injury

Cuticle

crescent of toughened skin around the base

of the fingernails and toenails

Eggshell nails

nails with a noticeably thin, white nail plate

that are more flexible than normal

Eponychium

extension of the cuticle at the base of the nail

body that partly overlaps the lunula

Free edge

part of the nail plate that extends over the tip

of the finger or toe

Furrows

depressions in the nails can run either lengthwise

or across the nail

Hangnail/agnail

condition in which the cuticle splits around the nail

Hyponychium

thickened stratum corneum of the epidermis

that lies underneath the free edge of the nail

Leukonychia

whitish discoloration of the nails, usually caused by injury to the base of the nail; white spots

Ligament

a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects bones or holds an organ in place

Lunula/half moon

whitish, half-moon shape at the base of the nail plate, caused by the reflection of light where the matrix bed and connective tissue of the nail bed join

Mantle

deep fold of skin in which the matrix bed (nail root) is lodged

Matrix bed/nail root

where the nail is formed; composed of matrix cells that produce the nail plate

Melanonychia

darkening of the fingernails or toenails; may be seen as a black band under or within the nail plate, extending from the base to the free edge

Nail

horny protective plate located at the end of the finger or toe

Nail bed

portion of the skin on which the nail plate rests

Nail disorder

condition caused by injury to the nail or some disease or imbalance in the body

Nail folds

folds of normal skin that surround the nail plate

Nail grooves

slits or furrows on the sides of the nail on which the nail moves as it grows

Nail plate/nail body

horny plate resting on and attached to the nail bed

Onychatrophia

atrophy or wasting away of the nail

Onychauxis/hypertrophy

an overgrowth of the nail, usually in thickness rather than length

Onychia

inflammation of the matrix of the nail with formation of pus and shedding of the nail

Onychocryptosis

ingrown nails; nail grows into the sidesof the tissue around the nail

Onycholysis

the loosening of the nail without shedding, usually beginning at the free edge and

continuing to the lunula

Onychogryposis/onychogryphosis

the thickening and increased curvature of the nail; also called "ram's horn nail"; usually the result of injury to the matrix

Onychomadesis

the separation and falling off of a nail from the nail bed; can occur on fingernails and toenails

Onychophagy

bitten nails; the result of an acquired nervous habit that prompts the individual to chew the nail or the hardened cuticle

Onychophosis

growth of horny epithelium in the nail bed

Onychoptosis

periodic shedding of one or more nails, in whole or in part

Onychorrhexis

abnormal brittleness with striation (lines) of the nail plate

Onychosis

technical term applied to any deformity or disease of the nails

Onyx

nail of the fingers and toes

Paranychia

bacterial inflammation of the tissues surrounding the nail; pus is usually present, also a gradual thickening and brownish discoloration of the nail plate

Plicatured nail

"folded nail"; disorder in which the surface of the nail is generally flat while one or both

of the edges of the plate are folded at a 90-degree (or more) angle down into the soft-tissue nail margins

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

naturally occurring bacteria that can cause nail infection when nail services are performed in unsanitary conditions

Pterygium

forward growth of the eponychium (cuticle), with adherence to the surface of the nail

Pyogenic granuloma

severe inflammation of the nail in which lump of red tissue grows up from the nail bed to the nail plate

Tile-shaped nails

increased crosswise curvature throughout the nail plate caused by an increased curvature of the matrix bed itself

Tinea/ringworm

highly contagious skin disease caused by a vegetable parasite, or fungus; characterized by itching, scales, and sometimes painful

circular lesions

Tinea pedis

medical term for athlete's foot or ringworm of the foot

Tinea unguium/onychomycosis

ringworm of the nails that invades from the free edge and spreads toward the root

Trumpet/pincer nail

disorder in which the edges of the nail plate curl around to form the shape of the trumpet or cone at the free edge