Hair Growth & Hair Loss: What Is Happening to Your Hair?
Have you noticed when you look back of photos of yourself through the years that your hair has not remained the same? I am not talking hair styles but your actual hair. Maybe your hair was more curly than wavy, or maybe it was thicker. This is an indication that your hair goes through changes throughout your lifetime.
What Is the Hair Growth Cycle?
We need to discuss the phases your hair goes through. There is a phrase that gets used from time to time that says your hair changes every seven years. To really understand what is happening we need to look at the different stages of hair growth. There are three phases in the hair growth cycle.
In the Anagen phase, your hair is actively growing. Then our hair enters the Catagen phase. In this phase your hair goes into the resting phase, and hair growth slows down considerably and it detaches from its blood supply where your hair gets its nutrients from. Then we have the third stage called Telogen phase. During this time your hair become dormant and there is no hair growth. The resting phase can last up to four months then your hair will begin to shed. After which your hair will being the growth cycle again starting at the Anagen phase where new hair growth begins.
The length of this growth cycle differs from person to person. Each of us when we were born around 100,000 follicles on our head. Not all these follicles started to grow hair at the same time. Therefore, you have hairs at different hair growth phases. As new hair grows back it can change the way it grew before. That is how your hair goes through changes. It is how your jet-black hair over time slowly becomes more salt and pepper in appearance.
Why Does Your Hair Change Over Time?
Now that we know the hair growth cycle, we need to look at the way hair grows. Every follicle that has growth contains a bundle of hair strands. Some may have only one strand and others may have up to four strands of hair. When you were born your follicles had just one hair growing in them. Over time, this changes you our follicles had more than one growing in them.
It is possible to extend the anagen (hair growth) cycle. To do this your need a diet that has less processed foods, avoid stress which can greatly shorten the life span of hair growth. It is also a good idea to eat foods high in iron and protein to encourage healthy hair growth. If your family has a history of hair loss, then you should begin hair loss prevention treatments like FDA-approved low-laser therapy and scalp trichology treatment which aid in prolonging the anagen hair growth phase.
Does your hair replace itself every seven years? Well, early on in our lives it is true but as we age and when we become adults your hair growth cycle becomes less than this. Therefore, you may feel your hair is not as thick as it was just ten years ago.
If you believe you may have thinning hair, we invite you to contact us to schedule a free, private hair consultation. Our San Ramon men’s non-surgical hair replacement solutions as well as our beautiful women’s hair replacement options provide the security and confidence you want and deserve that only comes with great looking hair. Please contact us to schedule your private consultation today and see just how much you have to gain.
