Hair growth rate by age, When it comes to hair growth, it’s easy to feel like you’re in the slow lane if you’re not constantly seeing new growth pop up on your head. While many are used to seeing hair grow at a certain rate per month, that rate differs depending on many factors like genetics, stress levels, diet, and more. Use this hair growth guide by age chart to help you understand how quickly or slowly your hair grows as you get older and adjust your expectations accordingly.
Human Hair Growth:
The length of time it takes for your hair to grow from cut to cut is referred to as the anagen phase of hair growth. There are two types of human hair growth: anagen and telogen. Anagen hairs are growing (but can be shed if they’re damaged), while telogen hairs are resting and aren’t growing at all.
Is there anything I can do to encourage hair growth?
The most important thing to remember when trying to encourage new hair growth is to avoid pulling or tugging at your hair. This can damage follicles and prevent healthy regrowth. Also be aware that excessive plucking, waxing, or threading could result in patchy areas where hair never returns. So if you are concerned about bald spots, it’s best to let them grow out before treating them again with a depilatory or laser treatment, for example. Finally, make sure that you’re eating well and drinking enough water each day; many people are chronically dehydrated and do not even realize it!
Growth cycle:
Hair has a growth cycle, so it goes through phases of growth and rest. Each hair on your head spends about three to four years in an active phase (called anagen), followed by roughly three months in a resting phase (called telogen). Once a hair has finished its resting phase, it falls out and then begins to regrow as part of your body’s natural hair-growth cycle. The length of time that a strand is in each phase varies from person to person—some people have their hair inactive phases for up to eight years, while others spend only two or three years growing strands before those hairs fall out.
What about essential oils? Does any of them promote hair growth?
Essential oils are a great way to naturally keep your hair healthy and shiny, but it’s important to be aware of how your specific hair type reacts. For example, if you have naturally dry hair, you may want to avoid essential oils like rosemary which can make your hair even drier. Conversely, if you have oily hair using more conditioning oil-based products will benefit your locks. The good news is that most oils do promote some degree of natural shine and hydration for all different types of hair.
Why does my hair grow so slowly?
In general, hair grows about 6 inches a year on average. From puberty onward, hair typically grows half an inch every month. This can vary based on genetics, hormones, and nutrition. If you’re worried about your hair growth rate, talk to your doctor or consider changing your diet and exercise routine to improve overall health and well-being. Hair growth is all about balance! A healthy scalp with optimal nutrition results in balanced hair growth that is neither too fast nor too slow.
Can you make your hair grow faster?
Surprisingly, there’s no evidence that you can make your hair grow faster with vitamins, minerals, or supplements. Although some women swear by certain products, such as biotin and certain essential oils, it’s important to remember that supplements aren’t regulated by agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In other words, there’s no guarantee that these products are 100% safe. Speak with your doctor about what you should take for optimal health and always read labels before starting a new supplement. Never self-medicate or attempt to diagnose or treat any condition without first consulting a medical professional.
What about hair growth supplements or treatments?
So you’ve got a long-term plan to take care of your scalp and grow your hair, but what about now? If you’re thinking about going for hair transplants or other more invasive procedures, it may be wise to invest in quality supplements or treatments. As with any cosmetic procedure, make sure that you consult a doctor before jumping into anything. Your doctor may recommend certain products over others—but that is largely dependent on your unique hair type. Products like Rogaine or Propecia can slow down or stop hair loss in some cases—which can give some people time to regrow their hair naturally as they get older.
Do you have any specific tips on how to speed up hair growth?
You may not be able to speed up hair growth, but you can take steps to prevent hair loss and promote healthy growth. Here are a few tips that dermatologists suggest: * Take zinc supplements, which are proven to help slow hair loss. * Eat a diet rich in protein, iron, and other nutrients that keep your scalp healthy. * Shampoo with products specially formulated for thinning hair; look for ingredients like caffeine, ketoconazole, or saw palmetto, and further, consult your doctors.
What age does hair grow the fastest?
The average growth rate for hair is .3 inches per month, but that number can vary from person to person. Your age can have a significant impact on how quickly your hair grows, with those between 14 and 25 years old seeing an increase in growth rate during their late teens and early 20s. Hair growth rates gradually slow over time as you get older, but never stop entirely. (Baldness aside.) Not only will you see less hair on your head than when you were younger, but it will also grow at a slower pace as well.
Does your hair grow slower as you get older?
With age, hair growth rates do decrease. Typically, men grow about 1/2 inch of hair per month until around 40 years old. At that point, hair growth slows to just 3/4 inches a month. Women, typically lose up to 30% of their overall body hair with age as well, although facial and chest hair tends to remain unchanged or increase as a woman gets older. In addition to slowed growth rate and decreased overall volume, many people will also notice increased graying with age. Aging is a factor in all of these changes – it’s impossible to predict how much your particular pattern will change based on genetics alone – but keeping your hormone levels balanced can help slow down these changes if you’re early in life.
Growth Inhibitors and Disorders:
Hormones are critical to your hair’s growth cycle. Women may experience sudden hair loss following childbirth, particularly during breastfeeding. This is due to a drop in estrogen levels and it usually regrows when your hormone levels have returned to normal. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often have difficulty growing their hair long because of excess male hormones in their bodies that prevent testosterone from converting into estrogen, leading to irregular periods and thinning hair. In addition, women taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may also suffer from thinning or excessive hair growth on their heads; they may need to switch prescriptions or discontinue use completely if they’re experiencing unwanted side effects.
Hair loss:
Approximately 100,000 hair follicles are lost every day. On average, around 90% of people experience some degree of hair loss over their lifetime. Hair usually starts to noticeably thin in your 20s, but it can also begin much earlier in life. This type of balding is called androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness—the most common form. And unlike gray hair or wrinkles (thanks to genetics), there’s no way to know if or when your hair will start to fall out.
Telogen Phase:
Telogen (also known as resting or exhaustion) is a three-month resting phase for your hair. In telogen, hairs stop growing and may even break, fall out, or get pushed aside as new growth occurs at other sites. New hairs replace those that have left. Every hair follicle will go through a period of telogen every few years—which means there’s always some degree of shedding. Most people don’t lose more than about 100 hairs per day in their lifetime, though many of these are replaced right away before you can even notice them.
Anagen Phase:
The anagen phase, also known as active hair growth, can last anywhere from two to eight years for a full head of hair. This is when new hairs are growing and pushing older hairs out. The length of each person’s anagen phase can depend on genetics, hormones, and other factors. If you want to keep your hair long, it’s important to make sure that your anagen phase is going as slowly as possible because your follicles will continue to produce hairs until they reach a certain size and then stop creating new strands. On average, most people have around 100,000 follicles at any given time, but your maximum number of follicles is determined by genetics and ranges from 150,000-250,000 per square inch of the scalp.
Radiation therapy to the head:
Treatments to the head during radiation therapy can cause hair loss. Typically, patients who undergo radiation therapy are advised to wear a cap during treatment to shield the rest of their heads from exposure. While many patients may notice some new hair growth while undergoing the prescribed treatments, some people may still find that they continue to lose hair with each session. If you’re about to undergo chemotherapy, discuss with your physician what you can expect when it comes to hair loss and what other options are available if you’re worried about going bald.
Chemotherapy:
The hair follicles are directly targeted by chemotherapy, which can lead to permanent baldness. Additionally, any other long-term effects of chemotherapy such as nausea, mouth sores, and diarrhea that cause a person to lose weight may also negatively impact hair growth. For example, many women with breast cancer have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. Women who receive hormone therapy for treatment or to reduce the recurrence of breast cancer may also lose their hair as a side effect.
Silica:
If you’re trying to grow your hair out, silica is another great option to use. Silica gives your follicles a healthy boost and stimulates new hair growth. You can find silica in supplements or foods like potatoes, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and celery. However, it’s not as potent as biotin and vitamin C. When you don’t have enough silica in your body, your skin looks tired and old and your hair becomes brittle and weak. With too much silica though—so with too many supplements—you can get acne or rashes on other parts of your body. Your hair may also feel dry because when there’s too much silica in your system it affects natural oils like sebum.
Biotin:
To help hair retain its moisture, consider adding biotin supplements to your diet. Along with vitamin B5, biotin helps maintain healthy hair strands and skin. A deficiency in these vitamins can contribute to thinning hair and dull, lackluster skin.
Vitamin C:
Another factor to consider is that as you age, your body may not be able to produce as much vitamin C on its own. This can impact hair growth since vitamin C is essential for producing collagen and connective tissue like elastin. Both of these elements keep hair healthy and strong, so make sure you’re getting plenty of vitamin C from foods like bell peppers, citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes, and leafy greens. Of course, a supplement could help if your diet isn’t where it should be.
L-Cysteine:
People that are suffering from hair loss, or who want to avoid losing their hair can combat thinning locks by eating foods rich in L-Cysteine. L-Cysteine is an amino acid used to form keratin, which makes up hair and nails. By encouraging your body to increase its production of keratin (which requires adequate intake of L-Cysteine), you can help your body grow thicker and stronger strands of hair.
Zinc and Selenium:
While we’re talking about key nutrients for healthy hair, it’s also worth mentioning that zinc and selenium are crucial. Both play an important role in regulating blood sugar levels, which is important for normal hair growth. Low levels of zinc have been linked to hair loss in women who show signs of diabetes. And a study found that selenium was positively associated with head circumference and hair thickness after one year of age. As always, try to get plenty of these nutrients from your diet, but if you’re concerned about deficiencies there are supplements available as well. Just be sure to discuss them with your doctor first—they can cause interactions with other drugs and compounds in your body, particularly prescription meds like birth control or antidepressants.
B Vitamins (B6, B9, B12, & B Complexes):
These are all essential to your hair growth because they build and maintain red blood cells. Your hair is made up of approximately 95% red blood cells. As you get older, it becomes more difficult for your body to produce these proteins because you have less zinc, B6, and other minerals essential for its production. To speed up hair growth rate by age, make sure you’re getting enough of these vitamins daily. Good sources include eggs, salmon, chicken breast (skinless), turkey breast (skinless), sweet potatoes/yams/white potatoes (skin on or off), dried prunes/figs/apricots, etc., flaxseed oil, and avocados.
Iron and Protein Intake:
Your hair needs your body to be healthy. If you don’t have enough iron or protein in your diet, it can cause hair loss. Most of us don’t have trouble getting enough iron and protein through diet alone, but if you eat an all-plant-based diet (vegan or vegetarian), you may need to get it from supplements. The best way to get enough nutrients is to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds; aim for three servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables daily, as well as two servings of dairy products such as milk or yogurt.
Ways to measure:
As mentioned, there are several ways to measure hair growth rate, including centimeters, millimeters, and inches. To measure in centimeters or millimeters, use a ruler or measuring tape to measure from one end of your hairline to your hair’s furthest point. Inches can be calculated using a tape measure as well. A useful tip is to avoid tight ponytails and other styles that pull at your hairline during measurement.
Tracking it in the long term:
Looking at changes in your hair over long periods can tell you how to maximize its growth. By comparing similar photos taken months apart, you’ll notice whether your hair is losing volume or thinning out. If so, it might be a good idea to schedule a consultation with a dermatologist. There are many options available in your hair is falling out; Rogaine and Propecia (both prescription drugs) help slow down shedding, while supplements like biotin, ketoconazole, folic acid, and others can encourage new growth. You can also find salons that specialize in non-surgical treatments for thinning hair- these therapies have great success rates but may cost hundreds of dollars per session. Further, consult your doctors.
