When you find you that you are loosing your hair, the very first thing you must do before you seek out hair loss treatment or surgery advice is to become educated on exactly what you're dealing with and first learn how normal hair grows. Doing so will take the mystery out of the “why” and the “how” as it pertains to hair loss.
Hair itself is made up of nothing but dead cells of protein. However, the hair follicle at the base is very much alive and this is the area of each strand of hair that gets the nourishment it needs from your blood supply. In other words, each hair follicle on your body is just like an organ that is designed to grow a single strand of hair. This growth goes through the following three phases:
1. The Anagen Phase: This first phase of hair growth is considered to be the growing phase. It starts out as a miniature hair follicle that has entered a new growth cycle. In its previous growth phase, it supported one strand of hair.
Now that it is entering a new cycle, it may or may not have shed this older hair. If the older strand is still attached, then it will eventually be pushed out by the new growth. At the base of the follicle, a brand-new hair bulb is formed. Dermal papilla cells that are located inside this hair bulb will induce growth of a new strand of hair.
2. The Catagen Phase: Now that the anagen phase is complete, the hair follicle will also begin to shrink. During this phase, the hair follicle begins to waste away and there is very little structure of the hair bulb. The hair follicle then loosens up and creates that “brushable” hair flow that exists on your scalp right now.
3. The Telogen Phase: Once the hair follicle has ceased shrinking, the next phase is known as the telogen phase which can last up to 12 to 15 weeks. During this phase, the follicles become inactive and hair shedding is experienced. This is very common and debunks the mystery behind all that hair that you see falling out in the tub or on your pillow case. In other words, some hair loss is very normal on a day-to-day basis. Once the telogen phase is over, the entire three-phase process begins again.
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