Hair Not Growing After Bob

Young woman with long hair touching the back of her neck
Photo: Stanislav Popov/Shutterstock
Q: I'm 19 years old now and many years ago when I was younger (just starting middle school) something possessed my mom to get me a bob. I hated it. Anyway, since it was a, bob it was short hair and shaved in the back. Many years have gone by and my hair is pretty healthy and long now.
 
However, the back of my hair underneath where it was long ago shaved stopped growing. It is extremely short considering my hair is pretty long. But underneath in the back it won’t grow at all. Also, the very front won’t grow as well. Why has my hair completely stopped growing in these two areas seeing how long it’s been?

 
A: There is no way I can answer this question with any certainty given that I have not seen your hair nor have I seen the areas of your head you are describing.
 
Based solely on what you’ve said, my inclination is to suggest that the lack of growth in these areas is only connected to the haircut you had in middle school by the coincidence of the hair being cut short in the two areas.
 
Everyone’s hair grows differently. Some people have a clearly defined hairline with the vellus hair on the face and neck suddenly giving over to the terminal hair of the head.
Some people, on the other hand, have a “buffer zone”, usually found at the forehead and the nape of the neck. Here there will be a portion of the hair that grows thick and dark like terminal hair, but only to a scant fraction of the length of the terminal hair.
 
People who wear very short hairstyles typically have these areas shaved to maintain a neat and clean appearance, so it would be normal for this to occur in, say, a bob haircut. In fact, some bob haircuts (the one you describe comes to mind) feature a shaven area that extends above the area where the buffers are usually found.
 
If the areas you are concerned with have the shorter dark hair as described above, the odds are you simply have one of the “buffer zones” and can deal with it by trimming and shaving the area to keep a tidy appearance.
 
If, however, the lack of growth you are talking about is “bare” patches in an area surrounded by growth, you should see your doctor to confirm or discount a possible case of alopecia areata. A visit to the doctor would be advisable if you have any further concerns that the lack of growth has a medical cause as well.
 
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See also:
 
Undershave and undercut haircuts
 
How long does hair that is pulled out take to grow back completely?
 
Hair problems
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