Welcome to the Hair Removal & Reduction Website
Anatomy of Hair
Our hair is mainly composed of protein cells which are of a hard fibrous type called keratin. These protein cells are compactly bound together before they leave the follicle cavity to become hair.
The hair grows out of tubes of cells which are located in the deeper layer of the skin (dermis) and receive a supply of blood from surrounding capillaries.
Hair can be separated into two parts. The root which is in the shape of a bulb, has capillaries and nerve fibres leading into it. Over time, the cells in the centre of the bulb divide and gradually push the previous cells up. These cells that are pushed upward then slowly die and form what is known and then seen as the hard hair shaft.
Hair Growth Cycles
There are three stages to hair growth:
- Anagen (growth stage)
- Catagen (transition stage)
- Telogen (resting)
The amount of time a hair follicle remains in the Anagen phase is genetically determined but, on average, a hair will remain at this stage for about 85% of its life cycle before entering the Catagen (transition) phase.
During this second stage, certain changes occur within the hair follicle and these changes cause the hair to retract and stop growing for around two weeks before the hair moves into the final stage Telogen (resting).
During this final stage, the hair begins to fall away while the follicle is stimulated to recommence the cycle and grow new hair.
If simplified, the sequence of events is anagen, catagen and telogen and this repeats constantly until a hair ceases to be formed.
Due to the amount of protein, keratinised cells and melanin within the hair, it is during the Anagen growth stage that hair is most receptive to hair removal treatments such as Laser Hair Removal (see www.laser-hair-removal.co.uk), Intense Pulsed Light (www.iplhairremoval.co.uk), and electrolysis (see www.electrolysishairremovalco.uk).
Individual hairs are never in the same stage of hair growth at any one time and this is why all hair removal treatments need to be repeated over a period of time, in order to destroy the hair in it’s Anagen phase.
