Unlike healthy hair, healthy nails are not __________ periodically.

Healthy nails do not shed periodically, which distinguishes them from hair that goes through a natural shedding process. Hair experiences a cycle of growth, rest, and shedding, known as the hair growth cycle, where strands fall out and new hairs grow in their place. Nails, however, grow continuously from the nail matrix at the base and do not shed in the same manner as hair. Instead, they may grow out and become clipped or filed, but the actual nail structure remains intact. This fundamental difference in how nails and hair maintain their integrity is crucial in understanding nail health and care.

In contrast, it is common for hair to be dyed, moisturized, or styled regularly, which does not apply in the same way to nails. Thus, the distinction that nails do not shed periodically reinforces the unique characteristics and growth patterns of nails compared to hair.