How does hair grow ?

Hair forms in a pouch-like structure below the skin called a hair follicle.  What we see as hair is actually the hair shaft, which is the keratinised, hardened tissue that grows from this follicle.  Humans have more hair follicles per square inch of skin than most primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas.  Because most of this hair is fine and pale (called vellus hair), it usually is not visible to the naked eye.   

The thicker, fully pigmented hair most people consider “real hair” is called terminal hair.  This hair is found on the scalp, eyebrows, legs, back, underarms and genital areas.  This is the hair the Chromolite IPL system treats.

Everyone’s hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications and other factors.  But all hair goes through three distinct growth stages.

1. Active growth phase (called the anagen phase), which lasts up to several years.  At any given time the majority (80%) of our body hair is in this phase.  During the anagen, the hair has an abundance of melanin (pigment).

2. Regressive phase (catagen phase), which lasts about two weeks, during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed.  About 3-4% of our body hair is in this phase at any time.

3. Resting phase (telogen phase), which lasts five to six weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and a new hair begins to form.  Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

The Chromolite IPL is most effective in reducing hair that is in the active growth (anagen) phase.  Because all hair in a treated area may not be in the anagen phase, repeated IPL treatments may be necessary to remove hair that subsequently enters the growth phase.

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