Nail plate
What it is made of
The nail plate is compacted keratin in roughly three layers, produced in the matrix under the skin fold at the base and pushed forward as new material is laid down behind it. It has no blood supply and no nerves. It does absorb and lose water readily — a nail is measurably softer after a bath and stiffer after a dry day.
In short
- Made in: the matrix, visible at the lunula
- Attached to: the nail bed, until the free edge
- Living tissue: none — but it responds to water like a sponge
Growth
About 3 mm a month on fingers, half that on toes. A whole fingernail replaces itself in roughly six months.
What the surface tells you
Lengthwise ridges are ordinary and become more pronounced with age. Crosswise grooves record a moment — an illness, a knock, sustained pressure at the base — and move up the nail as it grows, which is how their timing can be read backwards.
Why soaking before cutting is debated
A soaked plate is softer and cuts without cracking, which suits toenails. It also swells, so a nail cut short while wet can feel shorter than intended once it dries. For fingernails, cutting dry and filing after is the more predictable order.
Questions we get
Why do nails have ridges?
Lengthwise ridges are common and usually increase with age. Crosswise ridges follow an event — illness, injury or pressure at the matrix — and grow out.
Does the nail plate breathe?
No. It is dead keratin with no blood supply. It does absorb water, which is why nails swell slightly in a bath and why polish behaves differently on a freshly soaked nail.
Why is it pink?
The plate is translucent. The colour comes from the nail bed underneath.
*This page explains a word, nothing more. It is not medical advice and does not replace a consultation about a specific condition of the nail or the skin around it.
Skin that has grown forward and attached to the nail plate itself. Not the same as an overgrown cuticle, and not something to scrape away by force.
The living fold of skin at the base of the nail. It seals the gap between nail and finger, which is why it is the one part that should not be cut.
A nail edge pressing into the skin fold beside it. Most often started by cutting the corner down — and made worse by cutting it again.
The skin sealing the underside of the nail where the free edge lifts away. Sensitive, easily injured, and the reason short nails can feel tender.