If you’d like your existing hair to be as thick, full, and healthy as possible, understanding its natural growth cycle could help you maximize its potential. Knowing how and when hair growth occurs may enable you to extend its growth period and to prevent some common hair loss issues.
What Are the Cycles of Hair Growth?
The hair on your scalp and body goes through three stages of growth: Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen. Many scientists and medical professionals add a fourth stage called Exogen.
The anagen phase is the time during which a hair is actively growing. Cells in your hair’s roots divide constantly, adding to the length of the strand as it pushes through the skin’s surface. Typically, hairs that are in the anagen phase grow approximately a half an inch every 28 days.
The catagen phase is a short transitional period where individual hairs stop growing. They no longer receive blood supply, and cells stop dividing.
In the telogen phase, hairs “rest” in their follicles but no longer grow. After this, they enter the final, exogen phase and fall out… making way for fresh growth.
How Long Is Each Hair Growth Stage?
The length of time hair spends in each growth stage varies, based on one’s genetics and health. Generally speaking, the average anagen phase lasts between three and five years… but it can be as little as two years or as much as seven (or more).
The catagen phase is brief – lasting around 10 days – and the telogen period is approximately two months long. If one considers the exogen phase as a separate stage, it lasts several months.
How Can I Tell What Stage of Hair Growth I Am In?
Hair follicles are rarely all in the same phase at the same time. That said, the overwhelming majority – roughly 80-90 percent – will be in the anagen phase at any given point. Approximately 3 percent will be in the catagen phase and around 10-15 percent in the telogen phase.
As with the length of each phase, these numbers will vary based on factors like heredity and health. Genetics, stress, illness, medications, and more can decrease the duration of your hair’s anagen phase.
Can You Push Your Hair Into the Anagen Phase?
While the length and success of your hair’s anagen phase mostly depend upon factors that are out of your control, there are actions you can take to extend your hair’s active growth period and to make it more productive.
The healthier you are, the more likely you are to grow healthy hair during the anagen phase. To optimize hair growth, you should reduce your stress levels, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, ensure you are properly hydrated, and eat a balanced diet that includes foods rich in biotin, zinc, vitamins D and B12, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Treat your hair and scalp well… avoiding tightly pulled hairstyles that can stress your follicles. Use gentle, natural hair products and consider massaging your scalp regularly to stimulate blood flow to the area.
If your hair is not growing well, there are topical and oral medications that may help. Minoxidil is an oral or topically applied medication that stimulates hair growth, and the oral medication finasteride is used to block the testosterone byproduct dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT causes hair follicles to shrink and produce thinner, less robust strands during the anagen phase.
Reef Hair Helps Maximize Your Hair’s Growth Cycle
The experts at Reef Hair can help you maximize your hair’s growth cycle with a broad variety of non-surgical treatments. We also offer multiple transplantation options – including device assisted ARTAS® and NeoGraft® procedures, as well as classic manual FUE and FUT transplants.
Contact us today to set up a consultation. We will perform a full hair and scalp analysis, as well as discuss potential treatments so you can choose the one that will help you achieve the hairline you desire!
