Tiny balls on scalp skin#
Tiny balls on scalp full#

The part of the cycle where the old, inactive hair fully detaches from the scalp and is shed is sometimes called the exogen phase allowing the new hair to grow out from the follicle in its place. Once the hair detaches from the skin, it enters the telogen phase, during which a new hair starts growing from the hair follicle to replace it.

Tiny balls on scalp full#

This is why your body hair only grows a short length before shedding.Īfter hair grows to its full length, it enters the catagen phase - a transitional phase that lasts for two to four weeks.ĭuring this phase, the hair detaches from the hair follicle, loses its supply of blood flow and nutrients and stops actively growing. For body hairs, it may only last for a few months. The length of the anagen phase differs depending on where a hair is located and determines how long your hair can grow before it detaches from the follicle and falls out.įor scalp hairs, the anagen phase can last for several years.

Tiny balls on scalp skin#

The anagen phase is also referred to as the “growth phase,” as it’s the phase in which your hair actively breaks out from your skin and becomes visible.Ībout 90 percent of your hair is in this phase at any given time. In the anagen phase, your hair actively grows from the follicle to its full length.ĭuring this stage, the follicle creates the hair root, which remains inside your skin, and the hair shaft, which makes up the visible hair that grows from your scalp. These are referred to as the anagen, catagen and telogen phases. To understand why your hair falls out with a white bulb attached, we need to go over the basics of your hair’s natural growth cycle.Įvery hair on your scalp and body goes through three stages as it grows.

When you start shedding lots of white bulb hairs at once, it may be a sign of telogen effluvium (TE), a form of temporary hair shedding that’s often caused by stress. White bulbs are unpigmented, meaning they don’t yet contain melanin, the natural pigment that gives your hair its unique color. If you examine your shed hairs, you may notice that some have white bulbs, while others have bulbs that match your natural hair color. The small bulb at the end of a shed hair is a lump of keratin, a protein that makes up your hair, skin and nails. We’ve also answered several common questions that you may have if you've recently noticed your hair falling out with the white bulb still attached. Below, we’ve discussed what those unusual-looking white bulbs on your hair are, as well as how they fit into your natural hair cycle.