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Hair Growth Cycle vs. Hair Loss: What’s The Connection?
The connection between hair growth cycle and hair loss is more complicated than many people think. There are many factors that can impact both, and understanding these factors can help you take steps to maintain healthy hair.
Hair Growth Cycles
Hair growth cycles are continuous and involve stages of growth, rest and shedding. As hair progresses through its cycle, it goes through periods of growth (called anagen), rest (catagen), and shedding (telogen). Anagen is typically the longest stage, lasting up to six years in some individuals. During this phase, the follicles produce new hairs that grow and replace any that are shed in the telogen stage. Catagen is the short transitional stage, precursor to telogen, where the follicle shrinks and the hair stops growing. Lastly, in telogen, the follicle rests and the hair is shed to make room for new hairs to grow.
Hair Loss
Hair loss can occur when the balance of a healthy hair cycle is disrupted. Common causes of hair loss include stress, intense physical or emotional trauma, hormonal changes, inadequate nutrition, genetics, and disease. In addition, many prescriptions medications can interfere with hair growth and cause hair loss. Poor hair care practices, such as chemical treatments, overheating with styling tools, or frequent styling, can also damage the hair and lead to hair loss.
Health and The Hair Cycle
The health of your hair is strongly connected to the health of the hair cycle. To keep your hair healthy and full, maintain a well-balanced diet, engaged in regular exercise, take measures to reduce stress and practice good hair care habits. Pay close attention to any medications or treatments that you are taking and discuss any concerns with your doctor.
By taking proper steps to maintain your hair cycle and overall health, you can reduce hair loss and provide the best conditions for healthy hair growth.
Keywords: hair growth cycle, hair loss, health, anagen, catagen, telogen, stress, hormones, nutrition, genetics, disease, medications, treatments, hair care.
