3 Stages of Hair Growth That Men Should Know About
It is important when cutting and styling hair to consider the hair's natural growth patterns. Doing so will produce a more natural-looking haircut and a style that you will have less trouble duplicating for everyday wear. Growth patterns result in hair streams, whorls, and cowlicks.
A hair stream is a hair that flows in the same direction. It is the result of follicles being arranged and sloping in a uniform manner. When two such streams slope in opposite directions, they form a natural part in the hair.
A whorl is hair that grows in a circular or swirl pattern. Whorls are most often seen at the crown.
A cowlick is a tuft of hair that stands straight up. Cowlicks are usually more noticeable at the front hairline. but maybe located anywhere on the scalp. Styles should be chosen to minimize their upright effect.
In healthy hair, the individual strands go through a cycle of constant growth, fall, and replacement. The proper terms for these three phases are Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen phases.
Phase 1: Anagen
This is when new hair is produced. The stem cells manufacture new keratinized cells in the hair follicle at a fast rate. The majority of scalp hair grows in the anagen phase, during this part of the cycle.
Phase 2: Catagen
A short transitional phase of the hair growth cycle between anagen and telogen that usually lasts between 10 to 20 days and during which the lower portion of the hair follicle regresses and hair growth ends In catagen, the hair follicle stops producing the fiber and regresses, shrinking dramatically.
Phase 3: Telogen
Is the name for the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. A telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. Telogen effluvium can be acute or chronic.
