Growing out your hair can cause frustration, as sometimes it seems like it just won’t grow. Rest assured, however, that your hair does grow whether or not you notice it. Understanding how your hair generates itself will help you to estimate the amount of time it will take to reach your goal.
Time Frame
Hair growth follows a cycle that can last anywhere between two and seven years, according to Bryn Mawr College. When in its growing phase, the body can produce about one-half inch of scalp hair growth in a month, or approximately six inches a year.
Function
The hair growth cycle consists of three phases: anagen, catagen and telogen. The first phase, anagen, lasts about four and a half years on average, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. At any given time, 85 to 90 percent of the individual hairs on your scalp grow in this stage. When the body stops producing new hair cells to add to the length of the strand, the hair has entered the catagen stage. During this time the hair rests in the hair follicle. Up to a month later, your scalp will finally shed the hair in the telogen phase. Then a new hair starts to grow from the follicle, and the process begins again.
Considerations
Certain factors can affect the speed of hair growth and its cycle. Men may notice thinning hair as early as age 20, reports Columbia University Health System. Hair loss often occurs due to aging, testosterone level and genetics. It rarely indicates an underlying medical problem. Women between the ages of 30 and 60 may also experience rapidly thinning hair which gradually slows or stops. Medical professionals don’t know the cause for this kind of hair loss according to UMMC.
Excessive stress or physical trauma can also cause your hair to grow slowly or fall out in a condition called telogen effluvium according to Columbia University Health System. Major illness or surgery, childbirth, divorce or other stressful events can shock your hair into prematurely entering the telogen phase of the growth cycle.
Misconceptions
Hair does not grow through the skin on your scalp. It’s a part of the skin’s structure, according to Dr. Thomas Caceci of Virginia Tech. The keratin making up the majority of your hair’s composition is created in a process similar to the keratinization that transforms your inner dermis layer of skin into the tough, insoluble outer layer. Also, the melanocytes that give your hair color also pigment your skin.
Theories/Speculation
Avoiding unnecessary stress and eating a balanced diet may help you to maximize your hair growing potential. A diet including lean sources of protein, vegetables, fruits and whole grains may better the health and growth of your hair, suggests UMMC. Take a multivitamin daily to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies.
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