Human hair growth
The three stages of hair growth are the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. Each strand of hair on the human body is at its own stage of development. Once the cycle is complete, it restarts and a new strand of hair begins to form. The rate or speed of hair growth is about 1.25 centimetres or 0.5 inches per month, or about 15 centimetres or 6 inches per year.
Hair follicle
The hair follicle is a dynamic organ found in mammalian skin. It resides in the dermal layer of the skin and is made up of 20 different cell types, each with distinct functions. The hair follicle regulates hair growth via a complex interaction between hormones, neuropeptides and immune cells. This complex interaction induces the hair follicle to produce different types of hair as seen on different parts of the body. For example, terminal hairs grow on the scalp and lanugo hairs are seen covering the bodies of fetuses in the uterus and in some new born babies. The process of hair growth occurs in distinct sequential stages. The first stage is called "anagen" and is the active growth phase, "catagen" is the resting stage, "telogen" is the regression of the hair follicle phase, "exogen" is the active shedding of hair phase and lastly "kenogen" is the phase between the empty hair follicle and the growth of new hair.