anagen

American  

[an-uh-juhn] / ˈæn əˌdʒən /

noun

1. Physiology. the first stage in the hair growth cycle, in which an individual hair begins actively growing from stem cells in its follicle. Compare catagen, telogen, and exogen.

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Other Word Forms

• anagenic adjective

Example Sentences

In normal times, each of your hairs flips through three phases — a growing phase, called the anagen phase, a transition, or catagen, phase, and a resting phase, also known as the telogen phase — after which the strand falls out and the follicle repeats the whole process.

From Seattle Times

"This is because the length of our hair is determined by the length of the anagen phase."

From Salon

Loss of hair in the anagen phase is never normal and most commonly results from a toxic exposure like treatment with anticancer drugs.

From New York Times

Other causes of anagen hair loss that can be permanent include radiation and heavy metal poisoning.

From New York Times

Spared an underlying insult, about 90 percent of your hair is in the anagen, or growth, stage, which can last for years and result in long tresses unless cut.

From New York Times