Slow Hair Growth Diagnosis

There are four phases in the hair growth cycle: active growth, transition, rest and shedding of the hair fiber. It's difficult to decipher which stage hair is in because human hair follicles perform randomly. The follicle cycle is not synchronized and has little to do with seasons.

Background

• Hair growth varies among individuals, but 1/2 inch or 1 cm per month, is a typical growth rate for scalp hair during the anagen growing phase, according to Keratin.com, a hair resource website. Rather than comparing your hair's growth to someone else's, consider your own history of growth to determine whether it has slowed significantly.

Significance

• Slow hair growth may indicate internal changes occurring in the body that range from normal, such as aging, to more serious, such as nutritional deficiency or chronic disease. The hair's condition often reflects the body's overall health, so it's important to note unhealthy changes in hair.

Nutrient Deficiency

• Vitamin and mineral deficiency or poor diet can cause hair to shed and become weak, as well as slow regrowth. Vitamins A, B and C; and the minerals copper, iron, zinc and protein are some of the hair's most vital nutrients for normal hair growth, according to Stop Hair Loss Now.

Conditions

• Poor circulation inhibits transport of necessary nutrients to the scalp via the blood stream. Excessive stress can cause the body to go into "conservation mode" slowing the growth of daily energy-consuming bodily functions such as skin, nail and hair growth, according to Wilson's Syndrome. An underactive or overactive thyroid can also slow hair growth.

Perifollicular Fibrosis

• Perifollicular Fibrosis causes follicles to fail whether the reason is hormonal, genetic or stress related, according to Smart-Drugs. Collagen around the root bulb becomes rigid, inhibiting follicles from planting themselves firmly into the dermal layer of skin.