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[T499]The Hair Growth Cycle

by Gen Wright, Gen

If you want your hair to grow faster, it certainly helps if you have a better understanding on the cycle of hair growth. A strand of hair is grown from a hair bulb, which resides in the hair follicle. This tiny bulb also happens to be an amazing production factory. It produces hair continuously, without ever stopping. It does, however, follow a consistent cycle, and it does slow down to take a rest in the intermediate stage. In total, there are 3 stages in the cycle.

Stage 1: The anagen phase (growth phase).

In this stage, the hair bulb keeps on producing, and the strand continues to grow. This is the longest among all 3 phases, and can last for a thousand days (sometimes more). Hair grows naturally at the rate of about 1 centimeters per month. So this phase continues until the hair grows to a meter or more. The duration depends on genetics, the age, and the overall health of the individual. For older people, this phase shortens, and hair becomes thinner. Sometimes, it may even lead to a certain degree of baldness.

Stage 2: The catagen phase (rest phase).

This is the shortest phase among the 3 phases. It lasts for only about 10 days or so. During this phase, the hair bulb rests and does not produce anything. Pigment production (melanin) is also stopped. The bulb is preparing itself for the next phase - the shedding phase.

Stage 3: The telogen phase (shedding phase).

The name of this phase suggests that the hair is being shed, and the individual is losing hair. But instead of being the death of hair, this is the phase where rebirth occurs. In this phase, new hair starts to grow from the hair bulb, as it (once again) starts to product after taking a rest for about 10 days in the previous phase. It is this new hair that pushes the old hair out from the hair follicle. Hence, the shedding occurs. The process is completely naturally, and no pain is felt. The hair simply falls off. You find such hair when you are washing or brushing your head. So do not be alarmed if you find yourself losing some strands while you shampoo or comb your head.

You may want to know how long it takes for hair to grow to a certain length. Unfortunately, the rate of growth differs from person to person. This is because the cycle itself is different. For example, some people may take 18 months for their hair to grow to shoulder length, while others may find that their hair only reaches the collar over the same duration.

In general, women have a much faster growth rate compared to men. Men usually takes a year or more for hair to reach the collar. After that, the cycle reaches the telogen phase, and it falls out naturally. Hence, it takes longer for men to grow hair past the length of the shoulder. Other factors like stress, fatigue, or exposure to sunlight, also affects the cycle.

I get many questions regarding hair growth: Why am I shedding so much hair in the shower? Does my hair grow faster in the summer when I am out in the sun every day? These are common worries that are totally irrelevant to hair loss or the growth process of your hair. Hair growth is divided into three cycles – the Anagen, Catagen and Telogen phases. Hair will continually cycle through these three phases throughout a person's life. The cycle does not depend on the season or climate conditions, but does vary when a person has certain medical conditions, is taking medication or has another condition such as pregnancy.

Anagen is the growth phase of the hair. The hair in this stage grows rapidly at about 0.4 mm per day, 1 cm every 28 days. Scalp hair stays in this active phase of growth for two to six years.

Catagen is the transitional phase. About 3% of all hairs are in this phase at one time. The Catagen phase begins when growth finally stops, the hair is then released from the follicle, and is no longer attached at the root at the end of this stage. The detached hair in the follicle is called a “Club Hair”.

Telogen is the resting phase and accounts for 6% to 8% of all hairs. This phase is essentially the shedding of the club hairs, and it lasts for different lengths of time on different parts of the body. On the head, this phase is about 100 days long. About 75 Telogen hairs are shed in a normal person each day.

Some people have trouble growing their hair long, and this phenomenon is genetic. Certain individuals have hair that spends more time in the Telogen phase and less time in the Anagen phase. To this extreme, arm and eyelash hair only grow to a very short length because their locations are programmed to provide a very short Anagen phase. These genetically determined differences between people are inalterable.

In the Anagen phase, quite interestingly, the same follicle planted on different parts of the body will grow to different lengths, showing that the growth cycle differs depending on where on the body the hair is growing. I have used chest hairs in various repair cases, transplanting these one-inch hairs onto the head. Amazingly, these hairs can grow up to three or four inches when planted on the head.

Developing a Mature Hairline

As males grow and mature from childhood through to adulthood, they experience a normal change in the hairline that is not a symptom of Male Pattern Baldness. At least once a week, I see a male in his early 20s who is convinced that he is losing all his hair. His hairline has receded about half an inch in the previous five years, and is slightly thinner than it was. As well, temporal angles have receded slightly. This change is part of the normal maturation process – it happens in every testosterone-producing male, and is not a sign that further balding will take place.

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Both Gen Wright & Dr Robert Jones are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Gen Wright has sinced written about articles on various topics from Terrier Dogs, Acne Treatment and Lose Weight. Learn with exclusive