Hair is not as uniform and simple as you might think. Many different things happen under the surface of the skin - for example, there are three different growth phases and three different types of hair on our body, and do you know why you have longer hair on your head than on your legs? Learn more about frasar och bryn here.
Different hair types
Wool hair
Most of the body is covered with woolly hair (lanugo hair). These hairs are found almost all over the body, except for the soles of the hands and soles of the feet, which are hairless. This hair is thin and soft and usually has a weak pigment and is therefore not the same color as your head hair.
Bristle hair
Eyebrows, eyelashes and pubic hair. It is coarser, stiffer straw which, unlike wool hair, has stronger pigment. Bristle hair has a lifespan of approx. 6 to 8 weeks before the hair follicle rests and another strand of hair grows back. Even the scalp is part of bristle hair, but in men it has a significantly longer lifespan than fringes, brows and facial hair. Bristles can grow up to 0.4 mm per day.
Eyebrows and eyelashes are the hairs on the body that we replace most often of all. This can be compared to a head of hair which usually lasts for 3 years.
Long hair
Head hair, all people are born with hundreds of thousands of hair follicles in their heads, but all are not awake at the same time. It used to be said that you have approximately between 80,000-150,000 hair follicles which are awake every day depending on the hair color.
You lose between 60-100 hairs per day, after you lose one hair it either grows a new one or the hair follicle goes dormant for 2-3 years and another hair follicle comes to life. You only lose one hair that has lived a long life. A strand of hair is usually 2-6 years old, but in some cases with good diet and exercise as well as good genes can be up to 12 years old. Long hair grows about 1 cm per month.
Hair growth phases
Anagen phase – the growth phase of the hair
This is the first phase in the hair's growth cycle, i.e. when the hair has contact with the protein and the hair's growth cells. It is during this phase that it determines how long the hair will be on all different parts of your body. Which means that this phase can look very different depending on which part of the body the hair is on. On the body, hair grows for a maximum of three to four weeks, while on the head it can grow for up to seven years. Approximately twenty percent of the body's hair is in this phase at any one time, and it is precisely in this phase that you can remove the hair during permanent hair removal (laser or IPL) - therefore you need to do several treatments before you are completely hairless.
Catagen phase – transition phase
In the catagen phase, the hair leaves its active growth to slowly but surely become dormant - where the hair releases its root and all growth cells. This is the phase when the hair is still there (before it falls out completely in the next phase) and just like during the anagena phase, the time span can look different here too, but normally you can expect it to take between a few days and a few weeks.
Telogen phase – resting phase where growth has stopped
Here, active growth has stopped and the hair begins to crawl out of its follicle. The hair can be in this phase for between one and three months before you finally lose the hair. These hairs usually fall out regularly and without any direct effort. Once the hair is loosened, a new strand of hair begins to be produced in the cycle.