Anatomy & DisordersQuestion 63 of 100
A nervous first-time client asks why she cannot feel anything when you file the surface of her nail. What is the correct explanation?
a.The nail plate is living skin, but the nerves stop at the free edge
b.The nail plate is fed by the eponychium, which keeps it numb
c.The nail plate is a thin layer of cartilage with no blood supply
d.The nail plate is made of hardened, non-living keratin cells, so it contains no nerves
Explanation
The nail plate is a hardened sheet of keratin made of dead cells, so it has no nerves and no blood vessels of its own and filing its surface is not felt. It is not living skin and it is not cartilage. The eponychium is living skin at the base of the nail and has nothing to do with numbing the plate; if a client does feel pain, you are filing too deeply or touching living tissue and must stop.
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