Understanding Hair Growth Cycles: Why Patience Pays Off

When it comes to electrolysis, understanding the hair growth cycle is key to setting realistic expectations.

Hair doesn’t grow all at once. Each follicle operates on its own timeline, cycling through three main phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (resting). Electrolysis is most effective during the anagen phase, when the hair is actively growing and still attached to the follicle.

Here’s where it gets tricky: hormonal fluctuations or imbalances, like those from PCOS, can cause dormant follicles to activate over time, which means new hairs can appear even months or years after treatment. It’s not regrowth from previously treated follicles—it’s growth from newly stimulated ones.

This is why electrolysis is a process. It often takes 12–24 months to fully treat an area. But with consistency, those active follicles are steadily destroyed, leading to permanent results.

So if you’re on this journey—be patient. Each session is a step closer to freedom from unwanted hair.