In order to understand whether or not you are able to thoroughly distinguish between the possibility of your hair being in its natural shedding phase or something more concerning – you need to make certain that you are able to understand the intricacies of your hair’s growth cycle. Most people do not even know that our hair has a growth cycle. This lack of knowledge can send certain people into hysteria about losing hair excessively, when truly what happens is that your hair enters the shedding phase in its growth cycle. This is entirely natural. With the help of ASG Hair Transplant’s experts, you can understand the hair growth cycle in detail.
Three Phases of Hair Growth
If you have to understand the possibility of making certain that your hair is in the shedding phase, you need to know the different phases of hair growth. Generally speaking, there are three different phases in the hair growth cycle, namely:
- Anagen Phase
- Catagen Phase
- Telogen Phase
Your hair will thoroughly act and grow as per the growth stage your follicles are in. In our lifetimes, we cycle through each round of growth 25-30 times. Let us learn more about these phases:
Anagen Phase
This is essentially the phase wherein the hair actually grows. This phase thoroughly indicates an active growth stage for our hair. Of all the hair growth stages, this is perhaps the longest phase in the hair growth cycle. This effectively lasts for anywhere between 3 and 6 years. At any given point, a part of your follicles is always in the anagen phase.
Hair follicles work rapidly to ensure that they can create hair strands, pushing the older, dead cells off from their roots and creating visible hair strands.
Catagen Phase
This is an in-between transition stage. When your hair enters this stage, you can expect that your hair will effectively stop growing. This phase lasts for 2-3 weeks. In this stage, you can expect the hair strand to detach itself from the hair follicle. It is during this stage that your hair’s root can effectively be expected to rise up to the surface of your skin and cease all activity in the process.
Telogen Phase
This is effectively the final phase of your hair growth cycle. This is also known as the resting phase. Although the hair has stopped growing, it does not mean that it will shed immediately. The cell as well as the hair strand are both dormant in nature.
The hair strand effectively enters the shedding stage when the new hair enters the anagen phase and pushes the dormant hair out. The telogen phase can last for anywhere between 2 to 3 months.
Factors Influencing Hair Growth Cycle
There are several factors that can influence the hair growth cycle; some of them are as follows:
- Genetics: One of the most important factors that one cannot influence when it comes to hair growth is genetics. Our hair growth cycle tends to follow the patterns of our parents and grandparents. If someone in your family suffered from or underwent early onset baldness, chances are that you will face the same issue.
- Nutritional Intake: The hair growth cycles are also directly impacted by the kind of diet we maintain. The more unhealthy and ultra processed your diet seems to be, the more unhealthy or irregular your hair growth stages will be. One has to make certain that they are thoroughly able to upkeep their nutritional intake to ensure a healthy head of hair in an effective manner.
- Hormones: Our hormones directly impact the kind of hair growth we support. If you are experiencing an uncanny amount of hair shedding, chances are that your hormonal levels could be directly involved in that. Having an imbalanced hormone level could directly impact how your body cycles through the hair growth routine.
- Seasons: Another thing that could possibly influence the hair growth routine can be the season one is in. Different seasons leave different impacts on your scalp, therefore your hair follicles. In winters, your scalp can be thoroughly dry whereas in summers, your scalps can be extremely oily. One needs to have planned strategies to combat the effect of seasons on one’s hair growth routine.
It can be really disconcerting when a person starts to lose their hair for seemingly no reason at all. It can be a terrifying proposition to face. However, it is important to understand when there is actual hair loss and when a person is losing their hair due to the hair being in their shedding phase. It can be a thoroughly scary experience even if you do not put all that importance towards your hair. Extensively losing your hair without being able to pinpoint a reason can prove to be a thoroughly difficult experience. However, if you know and understand that this reason is truly natural, this phase of your hair’s growth journey is much easier to accept.
