mywifehatesmybeard wrote:
What I'm asking is, will your beard stop growing at a certain length no matter how many times you trim it, or will it stop growing after a certain amount of time?

For instance, if a man has 15 inch beard after 3 years and it doesn't grow any for 4 months, then we assume that he has reached terminal growth. Now, if he trims 4 inches off of his beard, will it grow back to the 15 inches and stop again? Or will it remain at the new 11 inch length until said bearder shaves and begins again? 
When I use to tr*m any exceptionally long middle hairs, they appeared to me as they never grew back as long as before. It could be my age. Let me explain.
 
While not a terminal beard per se, I've maintained the 'tache for eleven years and stopped tr*mming about six or more years ago - most of my whiskers have achieved terminal and are in replacement cycles. In my personal experience, the moustache has a shorter terminal length than other parts of a full beard and also terminal length can vary across the length of the moustache pad (growing area). For instance, the area near the philtrum will not likely achieve the length of the whiskers nearer the nasolabial folds (smile creases). There are genetic exceptions though.
 
I believe we each have our own prime growing years, then it peaks, matures and begins to decline as we age. As with my scalp hair I have observed that once a 'tache whisker has reached terminal length and has shed itself that the replacement whisker doesn't appear to reach the same terminal length. Over the last few years my 'tache appears to be shrinking and I'm not tr*mming. Like our scalp hair, it's possible that as we age the pores tighten and/or close. Consequently, the shaft of the replacement hair is thinner each cycle and doesn't grow as long - it's being choked and stunted. In addition to the normal hair growth cycle there may be a larger life-cycle that, like a business enterprise, includes these phases: - start-up (teens), growth (20 to 40), maturity (50 to 70) and decline. 
 
My advice is:  Minimize any tr*mming and grow what you can while in your prime growth years and then do what you can to prolong the mature phase. By that I mean, healthy diet and looking after the condition of the hair as it greys with age. Of course, this is just my observation and it could all be a load of bovine feces.   

Keep it Handlebar

Face grown since 2001
Last Edited By: Schnauzer Mar 18 13 12:26 PM. Edited 1 times.