Author: Dr. Jangid | Date Published: March 22, 2023
Our hair is made up of a protein known as keratin, produced in the skin's outer layer. Hair grows on the whole body except the palm of our hands, soles of our feet, and the genitals area.
What Are The Stages Of A Hair Cycle?
Three stages are present in the hair growth cycle. At any point in time, the hair will undergo either one of the three stages of growth and shedding.
1. Anagen: This is the active phase of the hair cycle when the cells in the roots of the hair divide rapidly. When the new hair starts growing, the previous hair of the same follicle that stopped growing or was no longer in the anagen phase is pushed out by the new hair. At last, this hair falls off, and the new hair starts setting in.
When the hair is in this stage, it grows about 1 cm every 28 days. The scalp hair can stay in the same phase for 2 to 6 years.
There are some people whose hair doesn't grow beyond a certain length; the reason behind this is the short active phase of growth. However, only some of them increase very long due to their long active stage of development. The main reason behind the slow growth of hairs on arms, legs, and eyes is that they have a short active growth phase.
2. Catagen: The transitional stage in which the hair follicles get renewed is called the Catagen stage. Around 3% of the hair is in this stage at any given time. The duration of this stage is about 2 to 3 weeks. In this stage, the blood supply is lost by the hair, and it doesn't grow any further. The outer root sheath starts shrinking, and the growth of the hair stops. The hair that starts shrinking gets attached to the root of the hair, leading to club hair formation.
3. Telogen: Around 6-8% of the hair in the resting phase accounts for the telogen phase. This phase lasts around 100 days on the scalp and a bit longer on the eyebrows, eyelashes, arms, and legs. The hair follicles are entirely in the resting stage. A solid, complex, and dry white material will be revealed at the root if we pull out a strand of hair in this state. Around 25 to 100 telogen are shed every day. A new growing hair is pushed out, letting the telogen hair fall out and the anagen phase of that folic.
What Is Hair Anatomy And Its Different Parts
Humans have more than 5 million hair follicles and more than 100,000 on the scalp. The human body is covered with hairs except for the sole, palm, lips, and genital area. Hair is considered to be adding beauty to the human body and is one of the mammals' most important characteristic features.
What Are The Different Parts Of Hair?
Hair majorly consists of two different parts:
1. Hair Shaft: This is the non-living part of the skin. A thin strand of hardened cells that appears above the scalp is known as the Hair shaft. The thickness varies from 0.04-0.12mm. The post further consists of three layers
- Cuticle: The outermost layer of the hair that protects the inner layers from any harm using any chemicals or physical damage is known as the cuticle. The structure of the cuticle is rigid and dense, and its colourless nature allows the light to shine through it. Approximately 10% of the hair diameter covers the cuticle layer. It is also known to provide elasticity and shine to the hair. These cells are flat and square and are tightly adhered to the cortex cells.
- Cortex: It is one of the thickest layers of hair, and its diameter is around 80-90%. It has numerous hardened fibrous cells that are made up of various protein molecules. These cells are arranged in such a manner that they are together in bundles and surrounded by keratins, which are placed parallel to the axis of the shaft. It also contains Melanin pigment that gives natural colour to the hair.
- Medulla: It is located in the centre of the hair shaft and is presented in the form of coarser fibres. The thickness of the Medulla depends on the thickness of the hair, and the presence of the Medulla in hair determines the stiffness and thickness of the hair. It is absent in the fine hairs.
2. Hair Follicle: This part of the skin is the living part. When we talk about the growth structure of the hair, the follicle is one of the essential parts, consisting of two main parts:
Upper infundibulum and isthmus
Lower suprabulber and Bulb
- Infundibulum: The uppermost part of the hair follicle extends from the skin surface to the opening of the sebaceous gland into the hair follicle. This part is usually filled with sebum secreted by the sebaceous gland.
- Isthmus: The uppermost of the hair follicle lies between the sebaceous gland and opens into the insertion arrector pili muscle. The Arrector pili is a muscle between the hair bulge area and the dermo-epidermal junction. The sebaceous gland and apocrine gland open up in the hair follicle above the insertion of this muscle
- The Suprabulbar Region lies below the Isthmus and above the hair bulb, and it comprises three layers from the outermost root sheath to the inner root sheath and then the hair shaft.
Hair Bulb: The hair bulb is the lower part of the hair follicle that is onion-shaped.
Is Hair Necessary For Us?
People often hear about the importance of healthy hair. Naturally beautiful hair adds to your appearance value and ensures healthy hair and scalp. Using the correct hair care products according to your hair is essential, and the overall look of the hair is critical, significantly boosting your self-esteem.
Why Is Hair Necessary For Us - Role Of Healthy Hair?
Hair is essential for your overall well-being as it is one of the aspects that other people might notice when they see you. Healthy hair is a sign of confidence and positivity. It helps in various ways -
- Boosting Self-Confidence: Self-confidence is essential, and our hair's condition significantly impacts our appearance. By taking good care, you can revive your self-confidence and allow yourself to have healthy hair. Self-confidence is the key to success; good hair care boosts hair growth.
- Promotes Healthy Hair: Healthy hair depends on any person's health and well-being. The hair that is not maintained can have split ends and frizzy and dry hair follicles. It would help if you underwent various treatments to preserve the health of your hair. You can achieve the confidence to maintain your hair so that it remains healthy and in an emotional state.
- Prevents Premature Hair Loss: If you maintain your hair, the hair will provide longevity and lower the chance of premature aging.
- Reflection On Your Health: The condition of your hair is one of the most critical signs of overall health. The body is operating at its peak, producing enough vitamins and nutrients. You may be required to change your diet or hair care routine if you have unhealthy and curly hair.
How Can You Get Healthy And Vibrant Hair?
The health of your hair is critical on both physical and mental grounds. With proper maintenance and care, you can always get healthy and Vibrant hair. Your confidence also gets a boost and allows you to live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Why Is The Nerve Supply Important For The Hair Follicles?
The hair follicle nerves are similar to the dermal nerve network and include the sensory afferents and automatic sympathetic nerves. The nerve fibres around the bulge area of the terminal follicles and the bulb area of the vellus follicles form a circular layer.
What Is The Role Of Vascular Supply In The Hair Follicles?
The lower portion of the hair follicles arterioles provided by the cutaneous vascularization is concentrated and composes the vascular network. Due to the up and down-regulation of the vascular endothelial growth factor expression, alterations in the perifollicular vascularization occur during the hair cycle.
What Are The Factors Responsible For Healthy Hair?
Nutrition is a complex subject, and the effects of incorrect nutrition might need to be faster to appear. Hair generally responds slowly to any stimulus. Healthy hair is a sign of good health and good hair care products. Most people have adequate nutrients in their diet. However, some people do not have good nutrition. Some people have a medical illness that discards their nutritional value.
What Is The Role Of Nutrients For Healthy Hair?
Hair nutrition is also one of the most vital parts of any treatment. A systematic approach will help formulate any nutritional supplement for hair due to various factors.
Various malnutrition stages have essential effects on hair growth. The most widely heard among these is protein-calorie malnutrition, which is prevalent more in developing countries and countries with high living standards.
What Are The Factors On Which The Speed Of Your Hair Growth Is Dependent?
Your hair growth speed entirely depends on genetics, gender, age, and hormones. However, this may be reduced by the deficiency of various nutrients and hormonal fluctuations. It is also important to remember that many metabolic requirements of the follicle cells need to be satisfied for optimal hair growth.
Does Lack Of Certain Nutrients In Hair Lead To Hair Loss?
According to nutritionists, some or other nutritional deficiencies tend to create dry, stringy, and dull hair. This may also lead to extreme hair loss. Once the fault is addressed, the nutritional value will be restored. Crash diets cause many problems, like anorexia, bulimia, and other medical conditions.
What Should We Include In Our Diet For Healthy, Shiny Hair?
Your diet must contain proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, and fats. The deficiency is usually shown in the hair. If someone has a mild case of anemia, it can cause the shedding of hair. Vitamin B is significantly essential for healthy hair, especially biotin. If there is any threat a body faces, the other parts of the body will show the sign first, and then the hair follicles may react. However, not all hair growth issues face malnutrition.
Omega-3 fatty acid is essential for preventing dry and dull hair. Dark green vegetables have a high amount of vitamin A and C, which helps in sebum production and act as a natural hair conditioner. If there is a biotin deficiency, it will cause brittle hair that leads to hair loss. The defect can be avoided by having cereal grain, liver, egg yolk, soy flour, and yeast. The hair can also be conditioned by alpha-linoleic acid and zinc, found in various nuts and help prepare the hair. Even calcium present in dairy products is a crucial component for hair growth. A balanced diet is beneficial for a healthy scalp.
What Is The Average Growth Of The Hair In A Day?
On average, the hair on the scalp grows about 0.3 to 0.4 mm/day. Human hair growth and shedding are different from mammals since its neither seasonal nor cyclical.
Does Hair Boosts One's Confidence & Self Esteem
Hair loss in men can make them question their self-esteem and confidence. However, some therapies and treatments can help the person accept and manage hair loss.
Undoubtedly, hair loss in people can affect their self-esteem to a great level. People who are very particular about their appearance can impact their self-esteem significantly.
Many people worry about how they look or what others think. People usually try a lot of methods to conceal their hair loss. But. For most people, these methods don't work at all. A hair transplant can help make you feel more confident.
The significant benefits of hair transplant are:
It enhances your appearance
It increases your style options.
It gives you a natural appearance.
If you are considering getting a hair transplant, you must visit a hair transplant specialist in Delhi. A hair transplant may not be the right solution for everyone; however, it enhances your personality and confidence.