Telogen phase of hair: what is it?

Hair has its own life cycle that consists of several stages from when it is born until it ends up shedding. One of them is the telogen phase of the hair, although we can also know it as the resting phase of the hair: What does this stage of the hair consist of?

En Hospital Capilar, a hair clinic in Madrid, Murcia and Pontevedra, we tell you what the telogen phase of hair is, why it occurs and if it has any kind of relationship with alopecia and baldness.

What is the telogen phase of hair?

Each hair has its own Lifecycle during which it is born and grows, strengthens and ends up falling. This last stage of the process is called the telogen phase of the hair or the resting phase.

The telogen phase of the hair is understood as the stage in which the hair falls out. It is important to differentiate that the hair comes off, but, under normal conditions, the hair follicle remains. According to our doctors, this occurs because the hair follicle enters a state of rest in which its normal activity ceases, causing it to the hair falls to be born again.

This telogen phase of the hair usually lasts between 2 and 3 months. As we have previously mentioned, each hair on our body has its own life cycle with its own rhythms. This is why when you are in the telogen phase, all your hair does not fall out simultaneously, but rather randomly. Once this stage is finished, the hair begins another capillary cycle again, entering the anagen phase.

hair life cycle

The hair cycle consists of 3 phases or stages through which each hair on our body passes, although not simultaneously.

Growth phase

The growth stage or anagen phase is the longest, and can last up to 7 years. During the anagen phase, the hair follicle begins its activity intensely, causing it to the hair is born and grows in length. The longer the anagen phase of the hair lasts, the longer we will have it.

Transition phase

Once the growth phase is over, the hair enters its catagen or transition phase. Unlike anagen, it is the shortest of all with an approximate duration of between 3 to 6 weeks. It is called the transition phase because it is the intermediate step between hair growth and shedding.

During this stage, the hair follicle ceases its activity and, therefore, the hair stops growing.

rest phase

Once the hair follicles stop their activity, the aforementioned telogen phase of the hair begins, also known as resting. In this way, a capillary cycle is finished to start the next one.

Is there a relationship between the telogen phase and alopecia?

The telogen phase of the hair, as it is a period of hair loss, tends to be related to the alopecia. When we talk about alopecia we refer to a disease, normally of hormonal origin, for which the destruction of the hair follicle occurs, generating baldness. The development of alopecia is not linked to the entry of the hair in its resting phase, but to the destruction or detachment of the hair follicle itself. As we have mentioned, during the telogen phase of the hair, the hair follicles remain intact under normal conditions.

Therefore, the telogen phase only causes the shaft to fall, but the hair will grow back normally. In the case of alopecia, the hair that falls does not come back because there is follicular loss.

However, another type of hair loss such as telogen effluvia, seasonal falls, due to stress or even for having passed the covid 19th they do relate to the telogen phase of hair. What happens in most of these cases is that, for a specific reason, a large part of the hair enters the telogen phase and falls out. However, the hair grows back, so it usually does not generate bald spots.