Alopecia Hair Growth Stages: What Are the Four Stages?

10 September, 2024 | Hair Growth | Author : Shveta Virmani

Alopecia is a term used to refer to hair loss that affects the scalp along with other parts of your body. Common treatments for alopecia include the usage of various steroids. For severe cases, hair transplants in india from a well-renowned clinic like MedLinks can be beneficial. There are four main alopecia hair growth stages. This post illustrates the same for your benefit.

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A Brief Overview of Alopecia Hair Growth Stages

Hair grows from the hair root or follicle and receives nourishment from the blood vessels situated at the base of the follicles. There are four main stages of hair growth from the start to the falling and the regrowth. These are

Anagen
Catagen
Telogen
Exogen

As a result, your hair is always growing, shedding, and growing back. For instance, the hair strands you see on your pillow or the hair you lose during combing or showering are a part of this growth cycle. About 85 to 90 percent of your hair is always in the growing stage, while 10 to 15 percent are in the resting stage.

1. The Growing Phase or Anagen

The first stage of hair growth and alopecia hair growth stages is anagen. It is usually the longest phase and can last from 2 to 8 years. For some people, a single hair strand can keep growing for about 7 years. The anagen phase of hair growth depends on several factors, including the type of hair.

The anagen phase for your eyebrow hair is much shorter than your scalp hair. The former lasts for around 2 to 3 months. Several factors facilitate the transition from anagen to telogen, which leads to a reduction in growth and shedding.

Anagen is the production of the entire shaft of hair from the follicles. Anagen length is directly related to the length of your hair, given you have not gone for haircuts. During this phase, your hair is pushed from the follicles to grow till they fall out. At any given point in time, 90 percent of your hair is in this phase.

2. The Transition Phase or Catagen

After the anagen phase, comes the catagen phase of hair growth. It begins when anagen ends and represents the shift from anagen to telogen. It lasts for around 2 weeks. During this time, your hair follicles shrink and detach from the mesenchymal cell population in the hair follicles, also known as the dermal papilla. This leads to epithelial cell apoptosis in the follicle bulb.

Your hair gets separated from the bottom of your hair follicle. However, it stays in place during the last days of growing. At a given point in time, around 5 percent of your hair is in the catagen phase. During this process, if the dermal papilla fails to reach the bulge, then the entire follicle cycle gets terminated, which leads to hair loss.

3. The Resting Phase or Telogen

The telogen phase of hair growth follows the catagen. It lasts anywhere between 2 to 3 months, and it is said that at any given point in time, around 9 percent of your hair is in telogen. Conversely, around 40 to 50 percent of hair on your torso always stays in the telogen phase.

During this phase, hair does not fall out, and neither does it grow out either. This is also a part of the alopecia hair growth stages, when your old hair rests. New hair starts to develop in the follicles which have released hair during catagen. Once they are developed enough, they push out the old hair completely.

In cases where the anagen prematurely enters telogen, individuals witness excelled shedding and consequent thinning of hair. This is referred to as telogen effluvium or TE. A key way to manage hair loss is by reducing the amount of hair follicles in telogen.

3. The Shedding Phase or Exogen

The exogen phase of hair growth is an extended part of the telogen. This is when the developed hair pushes out the old hair strands, and shedding occurs. It is normal to lose around 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. The exogen phase can last for 2 to 5 months. During this time, new hair continues to grow.

Alopecia and Hair Growth Stages

The secret to healthy and thick hair is the correct anagen to telogen balance. In general, among healthy individuals, this ratio ranges from 12:1 to 14:1. Any decrease in this ratio gives rise to different types of alopecia.

This is when you witness more hair loss than the standard 50 to 100 strands. Alopecia Areata, or AA, a severe form of alopecia, is a result of an anagen-to-telogen ratio of 5:5 or 6:4. Some extreme cases see that the telogen exceeds the anagen.

The main alopecia hair growth stages for severe alopecia include:

Anagen Effluvium: This is a non-scarring type of alopecia. It affects a major percentage of the scalp because most hair follicles are in the anagen stage at any given time.
Telogen Effluvium: This causes diffuse hair shedding. It occurs when the hair growth cycle is interrupted, and the hair rapidly enters the telogen phase.
Pattern Hair Loss or Androgenic Alopecia: This type of hair loss, or hair miniaturization, leads to less dense and thinner hair, which leads to shedding.

How To Maintain Hair During the Hair Growth Phase

To promote healthy hair and have a healthy growth cycle, you need to follow a few steps. These are:

Reduce the amount of stress you encounter
Follow a balanced and nutrition-rich diet
Follow a proper hair care routine

Final Words

Hair fall is a natural process of the hair growth cycle that leads to new hair growth. Any imbalance in the alopecia hair growth stages can lead to severe hair loss. It is best to consult a specialist for proper diagnosis and treatment.

FAQs

How many stages of hair growth are there?

There are four stages of hair growth which are anagen, catagen, telogen and exogen

What are the stages of androgenic alopecia?

There are three main stages of androgenic alopecia. These are

Stage 1: You will see zero or minimal hair loss.
Stage 2: You will see minor hair loss near the forehead or around the ears.
Stage 3: There is major hair loss around the temple area. Your hairline will exhibit an ‘U’ or an ’M’ pattern.