To understand hair loss, it is important to understand the basics of the normal hair growth cycle. The growth cycle starts from the papillae cells at the base of the hair follicles in the skin. The cycle involves three stages, the anagen, catage, and telogen phases.
Anagen is the period of rapid hair growth of the follicles. During this time, the cells in the root of the hair divide rapidly, adding to the length of the hair shaft. This phase lasts for two to six years and after this time, a sort of signal is sent to the follicle to continue onto the next phase, which is the catagen phase.
The catagen phase is a shorter transition stage that follows anagen. This regression period is when the hair stops growing and the follicle starts shrinking. The lower part of the follicle gradually disintegrates and the structure of the bulb at the base of the follicle disappears. The shrunken hair follicle has a looser hold on the hair shaft. During this period that lasts for two to three weeks, the hair shaft can shed even while during normal activities such as shampooing, combing, and brushing.
The last phase is the resting phase of the hair cycle called telogen. This lasts for around three months, characterized by an inactive follicle. The shedding of hairs is a normal part of the telogen phase and appears as strands on the pillows, clothing, brush, and on the drain after shampooing. This is the reason why some degree of hair loss everyday is considered normal. The average number of hairs lost per day ranges from 50 to 100 strands because of the hair follicles that end the anagen phase. Of course, around 50 to 100 strands also reenter the anagen phase each day so hair loss is not really noticeable. Anything more than that can be considered an abnormal amount of hair loss.
At the end of the last phase, the hair follicle again enters the anagen phase and starts to grow back to its normal size. A new hair shaft begins to grow in the new bulb and the cycle of hair growth proceeds as usual. The entire cycle on the scalp takes three to four years.
And there you have it, the full cycle of normal hair growth. Anything that goes wrong in between can either lead to a head thick of hair or the total opposite -- hair loss!
Michael Sean Scott writes about health and medical issues to help others understand the overly technical world of medicine. Click here to find out more about hair loss and hair loss treatment solutions.
