Which structure is described as the visible nail area composed of hardened cells and lacking nerves and blood vessels?

Which structure is described as the visible nail area composed of hardened cells and lacking nerves and blood vessels?

• A. Nail bed
• B. Nail plate
• C. Paronychia
• D. Lunula

Answer: (B)

The structure described is the nail plate. It is the hard, visible portion of the nail made of tightly packed, keratinized cells that have died, giving it durability and a translucent appearance. Because it lacks nerves and blood vessels, you don’t feel pain in just this plate, and it doesn’t contain its own blood supply. Beneath the nail plate lies the nail bed, which is living tissue rich in nerves and blood vessels and gives the nail its pink color. The lunula is the pale, crescent-shaped area at the base of the nail plate, and paronychia refers to an infection around the nail fold.

The structure described is the nail plate. It is the hard, visible portion of the nail made of tightly packed, keratinized cells that have died, giving it durability and a translucent appearance. Because it lacks nerves and blood vessels, you don’t feel pain in just this plate, and it doesn’t contain its own blood supply. Beneath the nail plate lies the nail bed, which is living tissue rich in nerves and blood vessels and gives the nail its pink color. The lunula is the pale, crescent-shaped area at the base of the nail plate, and paronychia refers to an infection around the nail fold.