Hair loss

Every hair undergoes a natural growth cycle, with three different phases:

• A growth phase in which the hair grows,
• a transitional phase, and
• a dormant phase, at the end of which the hair falls out naturally by itself:

The growth phase (anagen phase = 85% of hair) lasts around 3 to 7 years for head hair. In this phase, the hair is firmly anchored and can only be painfully pulled out by means of sharp tugging. In the growth phase, a hair grows 0.3 mm per day or approx. 1 cm per month.

This is followed by the transitional phase (catagen phase = 1% of head hair) which lasts only a few days. The cell divisions in the hair bulb stop and the hair moves upwards in the hair follicle.

The final phase is the dormant phase (telogen phase = 14% of hair). This lasts approx. 3 - 4 months. The hair has now grown thicker in its lower part and is just under the opening of the sebaceous gland.

This dormant hair can be pulled out without causing pain. A new cycle begins at the same time. A new hair bulb forms, as does a new anagen hair that pushes the dormant hair out of the follicle. It falls out.

Normally, between 80 and 100 hairs fall out every day.