The signs of "hair" age are the thinning of the fiber (which also loses shine) and the appearance of white hair. As with wrinkles, each person has their own cellular aging (and that of the hair can happen before that of the epidermis). The good news ? This problem is of interest to a growing number of brands that are investing in research and offering increasingly promising solutions.
With age, the collagen fibers present in the dermis stiffen. This is the phenomenon of glycation, also involved in the appearance of wrinkles. The life of hair is organized into three phases:anagen (growth), catagen (end of growth) and telogen (fall). When the hair follicle develops in the dermis, it is enveloped by a "conjunctiva" sheath, made up of collagen and crossed by a network of blood capillaries. Its role:nourish the hair follicle and ensure the growth of the stem in the epidermis. At the end of the anagen phase (which can last up to ten years!), the bulb retracts into the sheath, then the hair falls out. Then comes a period of dormancy (a few months to a year), during which nothing happens, until the stem cells of the follicle begin a new cycle in the sheath:a root is created and the hair grows before to fall. Yes but…
“With the gradual stiffening of the collagen fibers, the hair sheath becomes harder and narrower, and blood circulation is less good,” explains Patrick Canivet, technical director for L’Oréal Professional Products. Result:the root has more difficulty anchoring (it is often shorter) and the follicle lacks nutrients, so the fiber is finer and duller. This phenomenon is amplified with the cycles, and the duration of the anagen phase decreases. Ultimately, if the sheath is too rigid, it can no longer accommodate hair. In order not to confuse the thinning of the hair and the loss of density related to age with a temporary slack (due to stress, diet, etc.), we ask for the opinion of a third party, if possible a hairdresser who knows us well.
