Hair is made of proteins called keratin and believe it or not, it grows all over the skin, and is often nearly invisible. The only places free from hair are the palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet. The basic explanation for hair growth is that the hair follicle pushes out new hair, usually at a rate of at six inches per year.
Most of us lose about 100 hairs per day, which is why you will find hair in your shower drain or brush. Losing some hair every day is not cause for alarm. Anyone with long hair who wears their hair up for the majority of a day, which notice many hairs come out at once. Essentially this is because the hair was shedding while it was pulled back in a ponytail or bun, and finally gets the opportunity to completely fall once the hair is released.
To gain a medical understanding of hair loss, let’s examine the three phases for any hair follicle:
Anagen
This is the active period for the hair strand and lasts anywhere from two to six years. The hair has grown and is actively growing during this time.
Catagen
At this stage, the hair is growing out of the head and is considered the transitional phase. This phases lasts anywhere from two to three weeks.
Telogen
At the end of the strand’s life cycle, it rests for anywhere from two to three months before shedding and falling out. At the end of this period, a new hair strand pushes through and begins the cycle all over again. Hair that falls out during the telogen phases is 100% normal and happens to everyone, throughout the various stages of life.
As people age, hair growth typically slows down. This is for a variety of reasons.
Involutional alopecia
This is the natural hair loss pattern for everyone who ages. As we age, the length of time between the telogen and anagen phases increase greatly. That gap continues to increase every five years or so, which is why most elderly people have significantly less hair than they did when they were young. Involutional alopecia is not a medical condition and a natural part of the aging process.
Androgenic alopecia
This is when a person experiences the traditional signs of balding. This occurs in both men and women, though men see signs of androgenic alopecia at a far earlier age than women. Men can see signs as early as their teens and 20s, while women typically do not see signs until their 40s. This is when the hairline begins to recede and hair thins substantially at the crown of the head.
Tellogen effluvium
This happens when the resting phase becomes longer, but at an earlier age than the natural cycle of involutional alopecia. Many hairs enter the telogen phase at the same time, making hairs appear thinner and that there’s less of it altogether.
The most common reasons adults suffer from the above are hereditary, hormone imbalance and stress. Men will see increased hair loss at all ages according to genetics, and women will see a change in hair growth when beginning or ending birth control or giving birth.
