You know we really do take a lot of our body’s functions for granted. It is an amazing that our heart beats and we don’t even have to think about it. All this amazement aside, there’s so much more going on than we can comprehend, our hair grows and we take that as a granted, but nature has defined a method for growth.
Medical researches enthused by the phenomenon have gone on to study these processes in depth, and have come back with a very simple (much like simplistic economic policies of wanna-be politicians) three point plan.
These three stages in the plan they have surmised are the ‘Cathegen stage’ the ‘Antigen stage,’ and the ‘Telogen stage.’ With the body losing between 25 and 100 hairs each day it is lucky for us on the main part that hair keeps on growing, it is said that God knows each of us right down to the number of hairs on our head, but how could he possibly keep track of all of that shedding?
The Cathegen stage is one where the hair growth is in a restful phase, and occurs right at the heart of what you would see as the hair bulb were you to pluck a hair from your head. At any one time approximately a fifth of the hairs on your head are at rest, this you may find surprising considering that when our hair grows it appears to grow at a uniform length. The only explanation for this quirk of hair growth is that all of the strands go through this resting stage of growth at some point, and all of the hairs thereby get a chance to catch up on the growth.
Back in the womb or upon reaching the atmosphere for the first time, our hair began to sprout from what are known as the hair ‘originators’ or technically ‘The Dermal Papillae.’ The sprouting and growth that occurs in the second phase after its restful state sees the hairs not sprout on ‘a one by one basis,’ but as a series of hair groupings which include as few as three, and as many as ten hairs at a time. All of this sprouting continues just as a human being goes through a maturing phase, baby through adolescence and into adulthood, so too does the human hair.
With the hair now entering its adolescent stage, ‘The Antigen Stage,’ just as the teenager will experience tremendous growth spurts through adolescence herein the hair can do as much as 85% of its growth. Its antigen stage fuelled by vitamins, and the proteins you digest into the creation of the raw material the body needs to produce these strong protein strands.
This adolescent phase can last for anything between two months and years, a growth spurt that can see up to an additional inch being added to your hair length every two months.
The ‘Telogen phase’ sees the adolescent growth spurt at an end, and the hair will start to build upon the energy that has been exerted in getting it to this point. Slower growth mainly built around the task of creating strength to the fibres. As the bulb of the hair itself is aging, this strengthening phase where there is little growth can last a varied amount of time.
It could last for months and it could last for years, but just like in business or in life, if you are not growing you are invariably dying. As adults, once our growth is done we are unfortunately on a one way ticket to our demise. The same happens now with hair, but at least hair has the opportunity to regenerate at the root, while we are only destined to rot. The hair attempts to solidify itself, but nature always runs its course, and the strand of hair is destined to break at the shaft.
Once broken it just takes a shower or a running of your fingers through your hair for it to come off your head entirely. The maximum length that your hair can grow to is controlled by these three stages of growth, these phases of growth take different lengths of time for everyone, hence the fact that some can grow very long heads of hair and some cannot. Why this is, is down to our genes predominantly, but our diet and other factors can play a part also. You will find what part you can play in an additional section of this hair-raising expert guide.
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