Miel said:I was doing some research on this today. The majority of your hair should be in the Anagen phase according to this information but maybe your hair is in the Telogen phase. HTH
The Hair Growth Cycle
Hair follicles grow in repeated cycles. One cycle can be broken down into three phases.
Anagen - Growth Phase
Catagen - Transitional phase
Telogen - Resting Phase
Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.
Anagen Phase - Growth Phase
Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.
Catagen Phase - transitional phase
At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.
Telogen Phase - resting phase
The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below. Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time.
At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again.
Miel said:I was doing some research on this today. The majority of your hair should be in the Anagen phase according to this information but maybe your hair is in the Telogen phase. HTH
The Hair Growth Cycle
Hair follicles grow in repeated cycles. One cycle can be broken down into three phases.
Anagen - Growth Phase
Catagen - Transitional phase
Telogen - Resting Phase
Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.
Anagen Phase - Growth Phase
Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.
Catagen Phase - transitional phase
At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.
Telogen Phase - resting phase
The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below. Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time.
At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again.
Amber_moon said:I guess I dont understand how this can be then.... Because if this is correct than those girls who've got the floor length hair are medical impossibilities. This says hair cant grow more than a meter. Thats only 3 ft. Ive SEEN girls with hair thats more the 5 ft long. How is that possible then?
Miel said:Sorry to post partial info but the article went on to say that the Anagen phase is varied in length from individual to individual. It also stated that it is this phase that determines how long a person's hair can grow.
Hair length
How long anagen lasts is determined genetically, and varies between the sexes and from one person to another. It is the length of this time that decides how long the hair will grow before it falls out. Anagen lasts between three and seven years in most people.
As people grow older the period of anagen shortens. For example, the hair of someone with a five-year anagen can grow to a length of 60 cm before it enters the shedding phase. If their
- As we have seen, a hair grows at a rate of about 1 centimetre a month.
- After one year it will be 12 cm long. After five years it will be 60 cm long.
- Waist-length hair is 80-90 cm long, and will have taken about seven years to grow.
- Shoulder-length hair will have taken only about three years. Thus only people with long anagen times can expect to grow their hair down to the waist.
anagen period drops to three years as they age, their hair will then grow only to shoulder length before it falls out or is brushed out.
So when a scanty-haired elderly lady boasts that when she was a girl she could sit on her hair, she may very well be telling you the truth!
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Differences in hair length depend on the length of anagen, which is genetically determined. These two people started off with hair of the same length and went without a haircut for 18 months: the man's hair grows only to his collar before it falls out naturally, but the woman's anagen period is clearly much longer [reproduced from Diseases of the Hair and Scalp, A. Rook and R. Dawber (eds), 2nd edn, Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1981] [/FONT]
http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_toc.htm
Sweetg said:So if it is partially based on genetics if your mother has short hair is it possible then your hair (daughter) may only grow to a certain length no matter how much care you give it?
this is confusing at times. can be based on many things.
Amber_moon said:I guess I dont understand how this can be then.... Because if this is correct than those girls who've got the floor length hair are medical impossibilities. This says hair cant grow more than a meter. Thats only 3 ft. Ive SEEN girls with hair thats more the 5 ft long. How is that possible then?