What can I do to make my hair grow faster (and what is a scam)

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What can I do to make my hair grow faster (and what is a scam)

Indisputable canon of beauty, imperishable and universal, long hair never goes out of style. The more centimeters, the better. The infinite, abundant and well-groomed mane, liked as much in the Renaissance as now. From this passion for having a good hair, there is evidence in art, music and literature, confirming that hair length has always played a prominent role in both primitive and modern societies. Symbol of health, fertility, social status or the most exuberant sensuality, "go pelazo tienes" is one of the compliments that we are most pleased to hear. The XL hair, strong and bright appearance, is still the object of desire of millions of people (especially women) who, challenging the genetics and time, are given an eternal struggle to get it. They try everything: from the most extravagant home remedies, to very expensive aesthetic treatments or products that, in spite of not having any study behind that sustains their promises, are for sale. But the reality is that in matters of hair there are no miracles that are worth the scientific facts we refer.



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Hair grows 0.4 millimeters a day

In order to understand that miracles do not exist, it is important to know that our capillary cycle is not synchronized and that it is renewed uninterruptedly; that is, our scalp always has a majority of hair (approximately 80%) that are in a phase of growth (anagen) and a minority, in transition phase (catagen) and resting (telogen). Growth is a phase that lasts longer than the others (between 2 and 5 years, although it depends on age) and depends on the final length of our hair; the longer it lasts, the more it will grow. "The average hair growth on the scalp is approximately 11.4 cm per month, an average of 0.4 mm per day, and it does so at a faster rate between 16 and 46 years, clearly decreasing from the 50. This speed of growth is influenced by multiple factors: genetic, hormonal, nutritional and even seasonal, since both men and women have an annual hair cycle with more fall in the fall, "explains Dr. Sergio Vañó, dermatologist and trichologist , coordinator of the Unit of Trichology and study of Alopecias of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital (Madrid).

Every day new hairs grow, while others fall (between 50 and 100 on average). Its fall and subsequent replacement is normal. As long as there are no problems, healthy hair grows, rests and falls to make room for a new one. "For a person's hair to remain in the growth phase for 6 years and for another 2 to depend on genetics, if the daily growth measure is multiplied by the duration in days of the growth phase, the maximum length will be the maximum that reaches the hair of a subject, "explains Dr. Eduardo López Bran, Head of Dermatology at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital , director and founder of Imema and a member of Top Doctors . For example, if your growth phase lasts, say, 3 years (1095 days), at a rate of 0.40 mm per day, it means that if you do not go through the hairdresser your hair will grow 43.8 cm (two hands of a hand half). But it will not grow anymore: it will enter a phase of rest and subsequent fall.

The power of a shampoo is limited

Hairs that are growing are the most metabolically active, and are very sensitive to changes in our diet or any chemical damage, so that their progression may stop earlier than expected. Dr. Jeni Thomas, senior scientist at Pantene , says: "Genetics defines the length of our hair, but assuming nothing interferes with that growth, such as poor health or damaged hair, your state of health will determine that what you carry in the genetic code is fulfilled.If you have deficiencies in your organism, the most likely thing is that it can not dedicate the great amount of energy that is needed for hair growth ". A hormonal change, a bad diet, illness or stress affect, but also smoothing or dyeing processes that end up breaking the hair. This is where cosmetics play an important role. "It is much more common that we do not grow hair because of hair damage that disease, so it should be taken care of a lot.A good shampoo will not make it grow more, but it will help to not break the growth phase," says the doctor.

A couple of years ago, a shampoo called FAST was popularized, especially in the United Kingdom, which, according to the clinical tests carried out by the Canadian scientists who created it, increased the growth rate of hair up to 5 cm per month (to 30 euros the boat). Dr. Eduardo López Bran is skeptical about it and recalls that although everything depends on genetic predisposition, there are very small variations between some individuals and others. Dr. Thomas says: "It is true that there are studies that show that certain medical treatments can change the amount of growing hair, but there is no record of any that increases the pace." More quantity, yes; more length, impossible.

Home remedies do not work

Another product that caused a furore, also in Spain, after being marketed by Mercadona, due to its economic price and its promises of long hair, was the shampoo for horses. The sales success was due to word of mouth (there was no beauty forum that did not talk about its virtues) and, above all, because Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker said they used it. The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) was quick to throw away the myth of this shampoo, whose main ingredient was biotin, a B group vitamin essential to nourish the skin, also the scalp, and promote circulation so that the keratin forms. It is true that gave some volume and consumers were 'like crazy' recommended in social networks, but the specialists explained that being a product designed for animals and with a high content of salt, it was like when we left to take a bath in the sea , that the hair curls and seems to increase in volume, but it is an effect that lasts little. Dr. Sergio Vañó adds: "Biotin is a vitamin that is not absorbed topically, that is, it will never reach the root of the hair follicle, which is buried four or five millimeters deep inside the leather. scalp ".

There is something that works: getting pregnant. "There are different hormonal factors that influence hair growth, both sex hormones and pituitary, thyroid and adrenal hormones.In pregnancy it is true that the hair grows with greater intensity and vigor due to the hormonal situation that the same pregnancy produces in the woman (the inhibition of male hormones, which are the cause of androgenic alopecia), "says Dr. Vanó. Because of this hormonal factor, someone might come up with another of the most popular homemade tricks (for being a fiasco) recommended by the Network for rapid hair growth. The idea was to crush contraceptive pills, dump them in a shampoo bottle and apply them in each wash rubbing the scalp well as if the estrogens were going to penetrate it. The specialists define it as outrageous, like rubbing with an onion, cutting your hair with a full moon or brushing 100 times a day. "There is no evidence that any of these factors positively influence hair growth, in the same way that cutting your hair more often does not make you grow faster," says Dr. Vañó.

In the pharmacy, there is hope

"For the hair to grow properly, it is necessary that the body has a minimum of raw material based on trace elements such as cystine, iron or some vitamins, however, the extra contribution without a specific deficit has not been shown to improve or increase the speed of hair growth, "says doctor Sergio Vano. Dr. David Munoz, a specialist in Corporación Capilar, is a supporter of supplementation, but always as a complementary treatment. "Vitamins, amino acids, trace elements ... All of them intervene in cellular exchange processes, from favoring the permeability of the cell membrane, to acting as precursors of proteins such as collagen, which structures the hair follicle. apply both in capillary mesotherapy techniques, as orally, but its use is limited in time and its effects are mostly proven to prevent seasonal hair loss or emotional stress, "he says.

So, is there something that works? The trichologist Sergio Vañó says that now there are new treatments that are in the clinical trial phase and that will stimulate capital growth, but of the already existing and whose effectiveness has been proven highlights a drug, Minoxidil. "It is a vasodilator that is applied locally in the form of liquid, spray or foam, allows the hair to enter the growth phase (anagen phase), so it will grow thicker and faster, however, Minoxidil is a medical treatment that requires a correct assessment by a specialist to see if its use is appropriate for that particular patient and, in addition, its effect is limited in time, "explains Vañó. The same applies to the other drug of scientifically proven efficacy, Finasteride, which needs to be prescribed by a dermatologist and is not recommended to women, since being a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme 5alphareductase type II, it can have side effects.