nail matrix

Portion of tissue (or germinal matrix) upon which the nail rests, the part of the nail bed that extends beneath the nail root and contains nerves, lymph and blood vessels. The matrix is responsible for the production of the cells that become the nail plate. The width and thickness of the nail plate is determined by the size, length, and thickness of the matrix, while the shape of the fingertip itself determines if the nail plate is flat, arched, or hooked. The matrix will continue to grow as long as it receives nutrition and remains in a healthy condition. As new nail plate cells are incubated, they emerge from the matrix round and white to push older nail plate cells forward; and in this way yet older cells become compressed, flat, and translucent, making the pink colour of the capillaries in the nail bed below visible[WP].