Nails are made of keratin, the protein that also makes most of the skin and hair. Keratin is a protein. In case of nails, it gets hardened. The cells in our fingers and toes produce the nails.
Let us find out about different parts of a nail. They are: nail plate, cuticles, nail bed, nail folds, matrix and lunula. Nail plate is what we see as the nail. Cuticle is made of tissues and overlaps the nail plate at the base. Nail bed is the skin that is below the nail plate. When you hurt your nail, the nail bed gives you the pain. Nail folds is the skin that covers the nail on all the three sides. Matrix is below the cuticles. The nail grows from the matrix. Lunula is the whitish half moon you see at the base of every nail.
Nail Growth:
Nail growth depends on race, sex, age, health, hormones and other factors. In general, nails on the fingers grow faster than the toenails. As new nail formation takes place in the matrix, the older one gets pushed away.
Nail Problems:
Nails suffer from many problems such as discoloration, splitting, cracking, thickening, ridges etc. Some of the problems are the effect on nails because of some diseases in the body, while other problems relate specifically to nails such as nail fungus etc.
Nail Care:
We should take proper care of our nails. Some of us believe that moisturizing nails once in a while is enough. But that is not sufficient. We must take right care of our nails so that they remain healthy and look good.
This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.
