Where Does Hair Grow The Fastest Or Slowest – On Your Head Or Body?

Regretted the time you got a fringe to look like Zooey Deschanel and ended up more like Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold? Or conversely, what about that time you had a few sessions of IPL hair removal treatment and still came out looking like Cousin It?

We’ve all had our moments when we wished our hair grew back faster or not at all. Unfortunately, hair growth is a very fickle thing – depending on where it is on your body and even your age and gender.

To get into the, ahem, root of the matter, CNA Lifestyle asked some hair experts some hair-raising questions you might be curious about.

READ: Get out of the grey area – and how to make the most of your grey hair

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAIR ON YOUR HEAD AND EVERYWHERE ELSE?

First up, all hair grows at an average rate of about 0.3mm a day, said Dr Calvin Chan from Calvin Chan Aesthetic & Laser Clinic. The difference between head and body hair is the duration of their growth.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Funk it Wellness (@funk_it_wellness) on Jan 10, 2020 at 8:53am PST

Hair on the underarms, legs and pubic areas stops growing after three to six months. And even if you’ve never shaved at all, there’s a limit to the length, ranging from 2.7cm to 5.4cm long.

Meanwhile, the hair on your head continues to grow for much longer – two to six years – before stopping, said Dr Eileen Tan, a dermatologist from Eileen Tan Skin Clinic & Associates at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

WHY DOES YOUR FRINGE SEEM TO GROW OUT SLOWER (OR FASTER) THAN OTHER PARTS OF YOUR HEAD?

It might just be psychological or visual trickery. If you're growing out your fringe, it may appear to lengthen slower than you wish. Conversely, if you find it a chore to trim your fringe every so often, it "may seem to grow faster because you are paying close attention to its growth”, said Dr Chan.