Have you ever seen the term hair cycle when looking for thinning hair and hair loss? It’s a word that some people aren’t familiar with, and many people don’t understand what it means.
The hair cycle is a term that refers to the cycle from hair growth to hair loss, and its mechanism is one of the knowledge that you should know as a measure against thinning hair and hair loss. In this article, we will explain the relationship between the hair cycle and thinning / loss of hair, and the points to keeping the hair cycle normal.
The cause of the thinning and loss of hair may be the disorder of the hair cycle. Why don’t you start taking measures against thinning hair and hair loss by grasping the disorder of the hair cycle that is occurring in yourself?
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The Hair Cycle Repeats Three Cycle
Hair has three cycles of “growth period”, “regression period”, and “rest period” as one course, and it grows and falls out, and grows and grows repeatedly. The “hair cycle” is this series of steps.
Hair has a hair cycle, so even if the scalp environment is healthy, about 100 hairs will fall out naturally a day. However, even if this amount of hair is lost every day, it remains fluffy because the cycle of each hair is different.
The following characteristics can be seen in the “growth period”, “regression period”, and “rest period” of the hair cycle.
| Hair cycle | Characteristics of Each Period | Period |
| growth period | The time when new hair is born and grows. Hair is produced by the division of hair matrix cells. The longer the period, the thicker and longer the hair grows. If the hair cycle is kept normal, 85% to 90% of the total hair is in the anagen phase. | 2 years to 6 years |
| Regression period | The time when dermal papilla cells begin to regress and hair growth stops. The dermal papilla cells separate from the dermal matrix cells and prepare to enter the telogen phase. About 1% of all hair is catagen. | 2-3 weeks (ED) |
| rest period | The time when the dermal papilla cells stop working and hair growth stop completely. Telogen occupies 10% to 20% of the total hair. As new hair grows in the growing season, it naturally falls off as if it were pushed out. | 3-4 months |
The hair cycle is usually said to be 3 to 5 years. However, if the hair cycle is disturbed for some reason, the period of growth will be shortened. Then, it becomes difficult for thick and firm hair to grow, leading to thinning hair.
If you are already worried about thinning hair or hair loss, be aware that the disorder of the hair cycle will be restored to normal. To that end, it is important to first identify the cause of the disordered hair cycle.
4 Causes of Disrupting the Hair Cycle
The hair cycle can be disturbed for some reason. There are four main causes of the disturbed hair cycle. All of these can happen to anyone, not to others. Once you know the cause, you will be able to know the appropriate remedy.
AGA (Male Pattern Baldness)
AGA is alopecia caused by shortening the growth period due to one of the hormones “dihydrotestosterone (DHT)”. When AGA develops, the growth period, which is usually 2 to 6 years, is shortened to 6 months to 1 year.
As the growth period shortens, the number of undergrown hair increases, and the scalp becomes more noticeable. On the other hand, AGA is progressive alopecia, so it is more likely that the symptoms can be suppressed by taking appropriate measures without leaving it alone.
By the way, the number of times the hair cycle is repeated in a lifetime is about 15 to 20 times. The shorter the anagen phase with AGA, the shorter the intervals between repeated hair cycles, and eventually no hair grows. Before the end of the hair cycle, take early measures.
Poor Blood Circulation
When the blood circulation in the scalp is poor, the hair matrix cells are no longer supplied with nutrients, making it difficult for new hair to grow. Insufficient nutrition reduces the mitotic activity of the hair matrix cells during the anagen phase, causing the hair cycle to be disturbed.
Poor blood circulation is caused by lifestyle-related disorders and stress. In particular, smoking causes blood vessels to constrict due to the action of nicotine, leading to poor blood circulation in the scalp.
Decreased Vitality of Hair Roots Due to Aging
As we get older, aging reduces the function of cells. It is no exception to the vitality of the hair root. Decreased hair root vitality adversely affects the hair cycle. The reason why thinning hair starts to stand out with aging may be that the growth period is shortened due to the decrease in the vitality of the hair root.
In addition, the “hair follicle stem cells” that produce hair matrix cells become worse as they get older. If the cells that make up the hair are not made, the thinning hair will inevitably progress and the scalp will start to stand out.
Deterioration of Scalp Environment
A dry scalp and excessive sebum secretion can adversely affect hair roots and disrupt the hair cycle. You need to make sure that you are not using harsh shampoo and that you are not washing your hair insufficiently.
In addition, excessive stress, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise can lead to poor blood circulation, which can easily lead to deterioration of the scalp environment.
Signs When the Hair Cycle is Disturbed
Whether or not the hair cycle is disturbed can be confirmed to some extent by the number of hair loss and hair quality.
- More than 100 hairs fall out a day
- More thin and short hair
If either one is true, your hair cycle may be disturbed. For example, if you have more hair on your washbasin or pillow, or if you clean your hair more often in the drain, it’s evidence that you’re losing more hair than before. Make sure to check for hair loss on a regular basis so that you don’t miss any changes.
5 Points to Restore Normal Hair Cycle
When the hair cycle is disturbed, it is important to control and eliminate the factors that impede the growth period. So, here are five points to improve your hair cycle.
We also introduce improvement methods that you can work on at home, so let’s start where you can.
Treatment with Specialized Institutions and Medicines
If AGA is the cause of disturbing the hair cycle, treatment at a specialized institution is effective. This section describes AGA medicines used in treatment.
| AGA Remedy | Effect | Side Effect |
| Finasteride | It inhibits the action of type II of 5α-reductase and prevents testosterone from being converted to DHT. | Decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), liver dysfunction |
| Dutasteride | It inhibits the action of type I and type II of 5α-reductase and prevents testosterone from being converted to DHT. | Decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (ED) |
| Minoxidil | Originally used as a therapeutic drug for hypertensive patients for the purpose of vasodilation. AGA treatment promotes blood circulation and at the same time works on hair matrix cells to prolong the hair cycle. | Headache, dizziness, palpitation |
Although side effects are also described, it is said that the risk of side effects is low with any of the therapeutic agents.
Finasteride or dutasteride is prescribed to prevent hair loss, and minoxidil is prescribed to promote hair growth, but some medical institutions may prescribe more than one treatment at the same time.
Review of Eating Habits
Unbalanced diets and overdrinking can disrupt the hair cycle. Eating is a daily activity that can be improved immediately. Try to eat a nutritionally balanced diet.
Among the nutrients, zinc, which suppresses the production of dihydrotestosterone, and protein, which is the main component of hair, are recommended as measures against hair loss and thinning. Zinc also has the effect of assisting the synthesis of protein (keratin), so if taken together, it will lead to efficient measures against hair loss and thinning.
Promotion of Blood Circulation in the Scalp
Moderate exercise and scalp massage are effective in improving poor circulation in the scalp.
For exercise, aerobic exercise such as running and walking is recommended rather than anaerobic exercise such as hard muscle training and sprinting. Let’s work on it regularly within a reasonable range.
Scalp massage stimulates not only the blood vessels in the scalp but also the lymph vessels that circulate waste products. When you massage, don’t raise your nails, and be careful not to overdo it for a long time.
Suppressing Body Aging
Smoking is said to accelerate the aging of the body. When you smoke, a large amount of active oxygen is generated in your body, which accelerates aging.
Reactive oxygen species are also a cause of the large consumption of zinc. Zinc has the effect of suppressing the production of dihydrotestosterone, so it is a necessary nutrient to prevent hair loss and thinning. The act of smoking indirectly accelerates AGA.
For these reasons, it is very important to reduce the number of cigarettes and quit smoking in order to normalize the hair cycle and suppress the progression of thinning hair.
Scalp Care with Hair Restorer
Hair restorer is one of the hair care products that are perfect for adjusting the hair cycle because it can be expected to improve the scalp environment as well as to grow the hair that is growing now.
Hair restorers mainly contain ingredients that improve the scalp environment such as ingredients that suppress inflammation of the scalp and ingredients that suppress sebum. Compared to the hair growth agent used as a measure against thinning hair, it is also characterized by its reduced irritation due to the ingredients.
If you are worried about choosing a hair restorer, why not try the quasi-drugs named “Polypure EX”. It contains active ingredients (carrot extract, Swertia japonica extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, pantothenyl ethyl ether) that suppress dandruff and itching, and has a unique moisturizing ingredient “sodium polyphosphate”, making it a hair restorer that can be expected to improve the hair growth environment.
Prevent Hair Cycle Disorder with Early Treatment
Disordered hair cycles can increase hair loss and promote thinning hair. If you have more than 100 hairs missing a day, or most of the hairs are thin and short, your hair cycle may already be disturbed that needs to be treated right away.
Even if the hair cycle is disturbed, it can be restored to normal by dealing with it early, which can help prevent hair loss and thinning hair. How about starting from where you can, such as reviewing your eating habits, promoting blood circulation in your scalp, and scalp care using hair growth agents? Sure this post has given you some tips that you can follow to increase your hair growth cycle. Happy reading!
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