Hair Removal Solutions

The Follicle & Hair – Stages of Development

• Anagen:
  This is a period of active growth. The follicles are considered in the anagen stage from the time an inactive shrunken follicle comes to life and begins to extend downwards (early anagen) until it reaches its maximum depth (late anagen). At the beginning of anagen the dermal cord which extends downwards from the base of the remaining follicle structure begins to multiply by mitosis and grow in width and depth into the dermis. This structure continues in its downward direction, the cord giving rise to the growth of the entire follicle, while the papilla cells blossom into life. The lower part of the cord develops into the follicle bulb which holds the papilla. Hair matrix cells form the hair and inner root sheath. These begin to grow upwards in the follicle. Not until the hair has grown approximately _ inch beyond the surface does the follicle cease to expand. The shallower the hair the easier it is to treat. Therefore hair in early anagen is the easiest to remove. The deepest hairs are in the advanced stage of anagen and are therefore more difficult to destroy since the hair follicles are well formed and very strong. The papilla in these follicles are also very strong, since it is located in the subcutis where there is more blood nourishment. Anagen hair that have been shaved will take a few days to a few weeks to grow back. Anagen hair that have been waxed or tweezed will take a month to 4 months to regrow.
  

• Catagen:
  After a period of active growth, a brief catagen stage follows. This stage begins when the papilla separates from the hair follicle. The hair follicle then shortens (shrinks) upwards to about one third of its former length. A thin dermal cord made up of epidermal cells and hair germ cells forms at the base of the shrunken follicle. The inactive papilla also moves upward and is attached to the bottom of the dermal cords. The hairs in catagen stage are sill held in place by the follicle walls. The period the hair is in the catagen stage is very brief, from a few days to a few weeks. Sometimes it is so short that the follicle has no time to collapse, therefore a new hair grows from the papilla, before the club hair (catagen stage) has shed. This is very typical of a heavy growth area where you often see 2 hairs growing from the same follicle. Once you epilated both hairs you will notice, that it has a good root structure while the other hairs are shorter and have no bulb.

• Telogen:
  When the catagen stage is completed there follows a period of rest. In this stage the papilla has separated from the follicle, remaining connected only by a few invisible strands of epidermal cells. At the end of telogen, the shrunken papilla lies below the shrunken follicle. The hairs in telogen stage are still called club hairs, however they are less adherent to the follicle and will easily slip out through brushing, shampooing etc. Sometimes tweezing a resting telogen hair may stimulate development of anagen growth. This explains why tweezing, waxing or electrologist have bee blamed for producing new hair growth. In fact this is not new hair growth but a stimulation of anagen growth, which would have occurred anyway. Brushing, washing etc will dislodge approximately 50 to 150 hairs daily. These are hairs in the telogen stage ready to be shed. Emotional upset, stress, illness or after childbirth can increase telogen hair loss. Telogen hairs that have been shaved or waxed will take weeks or months to re-grow.

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