Where does nail growth take place?
Where does nail growth take place?
A nail is a keratinous claw sheet in most primates, present at the end of fingers and toes. They are translucent and are made of specialised epithelial cells. Nails of fingers and toes are made from an extremely strong defensive protein called alpha keratin, a polymer found in hooves, fur, claws and horns.
The structure of the nail is composed of the nail plate, the nail matrix and the nail bed with nail grooves surrounding them. From the deeper layer of the dermis, the nail grows. The growth begins at the base of the nail because the base has the specialized cells that make up the nail’s plate. As new cells are formed the older cells are pushed forward. The nail plate is fixed to the nail bed. The nail bed is a highly vascularized region that supplies the nail plate with the required nutrients. As the older cells are moved due to the new cell growth, the older cell loses its contact with the nail bed and they die and turn pale white.
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