How Does Hair Growth Work?

You have had hair all your life. You have cut it, shaved it, waxed it and tweezed it, and you may be thinking about having it laser removed, but have you ever sat back to think about how hair actually grows? Most people have no idea how the tiny fibers of hair grow from our bodies. That being said, by knowing how your hair grows, you can learn how to manage it properly and have it removed in the most efficient manner.

Hair itself is actually a filament of protein that comes from follicles that are found deep in your skin. Only mammals have hair and it comes in many varieties from the fur on most mammals, to the wool on sheep and goats. In contrast, humans may appear hairless, but in fact humans have as much hair on their bodies as other animals, but our hair is very light, which makes it seem like we are hairless.

Hair is divided into three parts. The first part is the bulb and this is the part that is in the skin. The bulb contains the hair and it acts like a seed, with the hair sprouting from the bulb. The root is the hair that is beneath the surface of the skin, within the follicle. The follicle serves as protection to the hair root. The shaft is the part of the hair that we see through the skin. In terms of the inside of the hair, it is made up of the medulla, which is the core of the hair. The next layer is the cortex, which contains keratin protein that is densely packed. The third layer is the cuticle, which is the outer layer that resembles shingles.

Throughout our life, hair grows in various stages. These stages are very important for things like laser hair removal because technicians have to have patients back for several hair removal treatments to remove all the hair due to the hair growth cycle.

1. The first stage is the Anagen Stage. This is a stage that lasts about two to seven years from when the hair first sprouts out of the skin. During this stage, the hair grows about half a foot every year. So, if you don’t cut your hair during this time, you will have hair that is about four feet long by the end of this stage.
2. The next stage is the Catagen Stage and this is a transitions stage when the shaft of the hair detaches itself from the follicle and begins to move upwards to the surface of the skin. This lasts about two to four weeks.
3. The next stage is the Telogen Stage and it is the stage where the hair prepares to fall out. This stage will last about four months.
4. The last stage is the Shedding Stage and this is when the hair falls out. This is completely normal and it is estimated that at any given moment in our lives, 10 percent of our hair is about to shed. Most of us shed about 100 strands of hair every day.

Read more answers to your questions at our laser hair removal FAQ page.