Which term describes the portion of the nail plate that extends beyond the fingertip?

Which term describes the portion of the nail plate that extends beyond the fingertip?

• A. Free edge
• B. Nail plate
• C. Lunula
• D. Matrix

Answer: (A)

The free edge is the portion of the nail plate that extends beyond the fingertip. It’s the part you shape, shorten, or trim during a manicure, and it visibly sticks out past the fingertip. By contrast, the nail plate is the entire hard surface of the nail; the lunula is the pale crescent area at the base where growth begins, and the matrix is the tissue under the cuticle that produces the nail plate. So the part that extends beyond the fingertip is the free edge.

The free edge is the portion of the nail plate that extends beyond the fingertip. It’s the part you shape, shorten, or trim during a manicure, and it visibly sticks out past the fingertip. By contrast, the nail plate is the entire hard surface of the nail; the lunula is the pale crescent area at the base where growth begins, and the matrix is the tissue under the cuticle that produces the nail plate. So the part that extends beyond the fingertip is the free edge.