What are the stages of nail growth?

The correct identification of the stages of nail growth is through the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. In the context of hair and nail growth, the anagen phase is the active growth phase where cells divide rapidly, resulting in the formation of new nail material. This phase is crucial for the actual growth of the nail plate. Following this is the catagen phase, which is a transitional stage where growth slows and the hair follicle or nail matrix begins to shrink. Finally, the telogen phase represents a resting or dormant phase where the nail is not actively growing, and the old nail eventually sheds to make way for new growth.

Other options do contain stages but do not accurately reflect the specific biological processes related to nail growth. For example, while the resting, growth, and shedding phases could describe some aspects of nail health, they do not align with the scientific classification typically used in dermatology for the growth cycle of nails. Similarly, the preparation, application, and finishing phases refer more to manicure techniques rather than actual nail growth stages. The terms emerging, maturing, and aging do not apply to the biological phases of nail growth and instead could be considered more general or descriptive stages that may not accurately describe the physiological processes involved. Thus