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qvbit
August 25th, 2019, 11:56 PM
Hey everyone! I'm new so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about anything / direct me to an existing thread if there is one.

So I know that external factors can affect your terminal length, like physical and mental health, environment, etc, but assuming that you are relatively happy and healthy, does it change over time? For example when I was 11-12 my hair could grow to classic length or longer. I'm 24 now and I'm not very much taller than I was at that age! I'm wondering if my terminal length might have reduced in this time due to puberty or other life events, or whether it generally stays the same throughout your lifetime?

Jo Ann
August 26th, 2019, 12:18 AM
I would LIKE to think that one's DNA would regulate that, along with other factors (other than life's emotional and physical monkey wrenches) like eye color and the like, would remain the same throughout one's life span.

Interesting point to ponder, Qvbit.

_fred_
August 26th, 2019, 12:35 AM
Judging by the stories people post on here, and anecdotal evidence from friends and their families, it can change with age, and especially with events such as pregnancy/childbirth, menopause or serious illness, but not always.

For example my friend's mum always had BSL-Waist length hair without much trimming until she hit menopause, and then it went a bit wild and is now somewhere around TBL to classic with no sign of stopping. She's letting it grow (with trims) to see where her terminal is. Sadly I don't have a pic of her, but I've seen her hair recently and it looks thicker than it used to as well - though that could be because greys can have a different texture to pre-grey hair.

spidermom
August 26th, 2019, 01:02 PM
All kinds of things about hair can change. I've seen people on here who were stuck at a certain length for years then have a growth spurt to new, longer length for no apparent reason. I've also seen people not trim their hair at all and have it gradually get shorter over time (from wear and tear on the ends, I assume). Set goals but prepare to be surprised.

AutobotsAttack
August 26th, 2019, 01:15 PM
I feel as though terminal length can possibly change with age. Much like how growth rate, and shedding rate can change with age. I think the only way you would be able to measure a change in terminal length, is if you grew to terminal length, recorded how long your hair was at a younger age, chopped it all off, then grew it to terminal length again at a much older age. I feel like it would an extremely long time to do that, but if that's something someone would do, then have at it.

MusicalSpoons
August 26th, 2019, 02:23 PM
Genetic ('true') terminal length *might* change, it's plausible as we know very well that even colour and texture can change, which are genetically determined. However much more of an impact would be how you treat your hair as to how long it can grow under the present conditions. It's usually called a false terminal if it's breaking off due to mechanical damage, heat damage, or chemical damage.

Mechanical damage technically occurs just from existing :lol: so we don't really mention or include that as it's unavoidable! But things like wearing the hair down or wearing it up but not in a protective style will cause excess mechanical damage, as well as not detangling gently, blow-drying if it causes tangles, being rough with the hair (piling it on top of the head!) when washing, etc.

[^ if this is all included in what you meant by 'environmental factors' in your post, please forgive me; often people don't realise this until after they've read around a fair bit. Things like blow-drying on hot, using straighteners/curlers, bleach/dye/relaxers/perms are generally known to be damaging to an extent outside of LHC but few people otherwise know about the common causes of mechanical damage.]

Oops, I initially forgot to say: welcome to the forum! :D

lapushka
August 26th, 2019, 05:06 PM
I was classic age 10/11; and I reached classic in my mid 40s again. So to me? I don't think it changes that much.

And I had a particularly bad time age 13/14 with chunks falling out and bald spots appearing due to hormonal changes at the start of puberty. It all regulated itself and after a year it started to be OK again.

I don't know what menopause is gonna do, but we're not there yet. :)

share801
August 26th, 2019, 09:52 PM
My hair has gotten curlier with age so I see no reason other aspects of it could not also change.

Sarahlabyrinth
August 27th, 2019, 03:57 AM
Well, it's fairly common for hair to become thinner with age (talking about anywhere from 60's onwards) and it could well be that terminal length would become shorter as well, but I have never seen any studies on that so it's just conjecture on my part.

Cg
August 27th, 2019, 12:38 PM
My personal experience is that it does not.

harpgal
August 27th, 2019, 01:28 PM
My personal experience is that it does not.
I too, have not noticed a change at all in either terminal length or thickness. I reached ankle at age 70, so it really depends on the individual, I think.

Neoma
August 27th, 2019, 03:55 PM
I really appreciate the OP's question.


I too, have not noticed a change at all in either terminal length or thickness. I reached ankle at age 70, so it really depends on the individual, I think.That's very inspirational to me, harpgal, since I'm 60 and have decided to go for terminal this time around. :flowers:

Dark40
August 27th, 2019, 06:20 PM
No, I don't think terminal length changes as you age. Whatever is in your DNA or genes that's what your terminal length is going to be for life.

Kalamazoo
August 27th, 2019, 09:27 PM
You know? Anybody who has long hair at one stage in life, and then maintains it for several decades? Well, as a certain number of hairs fall out every day on a normal basis, and are replaced by new baby hairs? Well, each of those new baby hairs has to grow to the length of the hair being replaced, in order for that person to continue to have hair of that length...

So maybe the real questions to ask are, "Is it possible to increase one's hair growth speed?" & "Can the anagen phase be lengthened?"

Jo Ann
August 28th, 2019, 01:00 AM
Scalp massages (and the inversion method) are believed to increase the growth rate of hair. MSM, peppermint oil and scalp massages are also believed to lengthen the anagen (growth) phase, so there's that...