Hair Growth – The 1-Year hair Growth Cycle

The anagen phase, lasting several years, is the most active stage of the hair growth cycle. At this time, new growth occurs at approximately half an inch per month. During this phase, cells in a germinative layer surrounding your hair follicle divide to produce fibers for each strand. Once this phase ends, the catagen phase typically lasts two weeks before giving way to the resting or shedding phase, and then the anagen/catagen cycle repeats again.

At this stage, your hair becomes dormant and enters its resting stage for approximately three months, known as hair shedding or fall. At any one time, 50 to 100 coats may fall from each follicle daily – don’t panic, as this is average daily hair loss! After the anagen phase, the catagen phase is a brief two-week transitional stage between anagen and telogen, which prepares your hair for its final resting stage – telogen. During this transitional period, hair follicles tend to shrink into club-like structures with only 1-1% of your total head of hair in this phase at any time. Certain conditions and medications may impede hair growth during its anagen phase. Crash dieting, high fevers, and other health concerns may contribute to telogen effluvium, which causes sudden diffuse hair loss three months later during its telogen phase. Your doctor can test for it by gently tugging a few hairs from your scalp and inspecting each for signs of a gel-like coating at their ends.

After the catagen phase comes the resting or telogen phase; at this point, old hair begins to die and fall out – hence our daily loss of 50 to 100 strands! Follicles remain dormant during this stage for around three months; you won’t notice any new growth during this time, but remember that these hair follicles still function! Stress can prematurely trigger this resting phase, resulting in hair thinning or noticeable shedding. When faced with pressure, your body prioritizes vital organs over growing hair follicles – prioritizing organs like the heart, lungs, and brain over hair growth follicles.