Description
The natural hair follicle life cycle consists of three distinct stages. These stages are the anagen, catagen, and telogen stage. Understanding what happens at each of these stages is essential to understanding the natural life cycle your hair follicles go through.
As you can see in the hair growth diagram, the hair growth process begins with the anagen phase. The anagen phase is also referred to as the growth stage, and can typically last for a period of two to six years. Interestingly, there is evidence to suggest that the anagen phase is also ethnically variable, with one example being of people of Asian descent actually averaging around a seven-year anagen phase.
In comparison, the catagen phase is very short-lived. Also referred to as the transitional stage, the catagen phase is exactly that, the transition of the original hair making room for a new hair follicle. This period typically lasts around ten days.
Third and finally, your hair then moves on to the telogen phase. Also referred to as the stationary stage, the telogen phase is when your hair is released from the original follicle and then falls out. The remaining follicle then sits patiently for up to three months before the entire three-stage process is repeated again.
Each hair follicle is independent and therefore the timing of each hair through these three stages is staggered.
