- Hair growth is important to both men and women. Why? Thick, luxurious hair is a sign of youth and appealing to the opposite sex. Hair also often is a key part of fashion. Unless the bald look is "in," the lack of hair can make a man or woman appear old and out of touch. For this reason, people struggle to find ways to make their hair grow. Yet, without a clear understanding of how hair grows this endeavor is futile.
- Hair growth is a dependent on a lot of variables: DNA, age, hormones, ethnicity, metabolism, weight and medications. These variables dictate to the body how long a person's hair grows, as well as it color and texture. The only common part of hair growth for all people is that it forms a pouch-like structure underneath the skin called a hair follicle. From this follicle, a hardened, keratinized tissue grows up, which is referred to as the hair shaft. The hair shaft is the visible part of hair.
- Hair grows in three distinct phases: anagen, catagen and telogen. The anagen phase is the period in which hair actively grows. It lasts for several years and is responsible for 85% of the hair on the human body. The catagen phase lasts about two weeks and marks the period in which hair stops growing. About 3% to 4% of body hair is going through this stage at one time. The telogen phase is the time in which hair sheds. It lasts 5 to 6 weeks and affects about 10% to 13% of body hair at a single time. All three phases of hair growth occur at the same time, which is why hair is longer on some parts of your body than others.
- Interruption of hair growth is often attributed to the variable of DNA. When a man or woman's DNA signals the body that it is time to stop growing hair, it does. As a result, over-the-counter products and surgery don't always stimulate hair growth. As a matter of fact, a majority of them don't work at all. The best way to help hair continuously growing is to stimulate the hair follicles and keep them clean so they can breathe. This process can be accomplished with basic brushing and regular washing. The other options (products/surgery) normally only stop hair shedding at best. If a man or woman ends up losing hair, the most fashionable choice is a beautiful wig, toupee or hair weave.
