Hair grows in cycles, with each follicle being on its own cycle. There are three stages of growth, anagen, catagen and telogen, as well as a period of time where a follicle can stay dormant.
The anagen phase is the primary growth period of the hair as it exits the dormant stage. The follicle deepens, the hair matrix begins to form the bulb, and over a period of several weeks, the hair emerges threw the skin. In the early anagen phase, the papilla – the organ which nourishes the hair, and the bulge – which contains stem cells that can completely regenerate the follicle, are close together, making this an excellent time to be able to kill the hair in a single treatment. As the anagen phase continues, the hair becomes thicker and more robust. The duration of the anagen phase is what ultimately determines our maximum hair length. Some short hairs are in anagen for as little as six weeks, like with our eyebrows, while others can continue for a period of two to three years, like the hair on our scalp. Despite the fairy tales we are told when we are young, most people can only grow hair to their mid-back (two year cycle) or butt (three year) and it will never get longer than that because the hair cycles to the next phases and ultimately goes dormant again. During this phase, the bulb of the hair will look juicy and full.
During catagen, the follicle slowly begins to shrivel up as the hair prepares for shedding after the anagen growth phase. Typically, the catagen phase lasts for two weeks and the hairs in this phase are notable for being drier with smaller bulbs.
The third phase is the telogen phase, at this point, the follicle has shriveled up in preparation of going back into dormancy. The papilla and bulge are nearby again, making it an ideal time to permanently treat the hair. The hair begins to dry out and the bulb is virtually missing. With the hair no longer firmly pressing along the wall of the follicle, it will simply fall out as the friction that once held it in place is absent. From here, it will go dormant.
While the hair is dormant, it can no longer be treated by electrolysis or laser. In the case of electrolysis, we can no longer see the follicle so it is impossible to place a probe into it to treat it, while with laser, with no melanin present, there is nothing to absorb the light energy to create the heat necessary to coagulate the organs of the follicle. Typically hair can remain in this phase for 6 months, sometimes longer, and hair susceptible to DHT (dihydrotestosterone), the hormone that causes male pattern baldness, may never leave the dormant phase again.
There are hundreds to thousands of follicles per square inch of skin that are dormant and will never grow a hair and this is perfectly normal. How many hairs on our body actually ever reach a growth phase depends on a variety of factors, including our genetic ancestry, hormone levels, and how we treat our skin. Of those that do grow, they individually somewhat randomly cycle on and off, entering and exiting the growth and dormant stages, leaving us with a consistent appearance in our hair at all times if left untouched, barring some systemic event which causes a mass disruption to their normal cycling, such as chemotherapy or alopecia. Understanding these phases and cycles is important to understanding why permanent hair removal is a process and why, even temporary methods like waxing can leave us feeling or seeing new hair growing just days later.
For more information about permanent hair removal or to book an appointment, contact us at hairinfo@EmancipatedElectrolysis.com or call us at 585-270-5230 and finally be freed from unwanted hair.