The life cycle of the hair

Our hair stays on our heads for an average of 40 months. But, during this period, not all hairs are at the same stage in their life cycle. Some are forming, others are dying, and some are already dead! The life cycle of a hair can be broken down into three phases: anagen, catagen and telogen. A hair is renewed 25 to 30 times in our life span, with an average cycle lasting around five years. As this comes to 125 years in total, we ought to have full heads of hair for our entire lives. 

The birth of a hair

The anagen phase lasts from three to five years, varying from one person to another. During this period, our hair starts to grow and pushes out the old dead hair. 

 

The second phase in the life of a hair

During the catagen phase, the hair separates from the follicle and therefore stops growing. The hair slowly moves up towards the epidermis, ready to fall out at a later stage.

 

Hair loss

During the telogen phase, the hair dies and falls out as the new hair behind it pushes through. This phase generally lasts between two and three months. On average, we lose around one hundred hairs per day, so there is no need to panic if you notice a few strays.

However, in some cases, the hair loss phase may be more pronounced than this, which can have significant consequences. We will look at this on the page addressing hair loss.

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