Last updated on September 19, 2020
Question:
Hello,
Just a few months ago I did the Tanner Development Stage and it said I was in 4.6. Today I did it and says I’m at 4.7. The only changes I’ve seen in stage 4 is that my penis got a bit larger around, one of the testicles got lower than the other, one side of my shoulders is longer than the other, and my left cheekbone got thinner than the other. All of these developments happened at the beginning of stage 4. I haven’t seen any changes this second half so far, do you know why?
I left out some stuff. I have hairs near my ears and spreads only like an inch down from my ear, upper lip hair also but mostly in the corners (the left side is darker and longer than the right) but are noticeable if you look at me sideways. Tiny hairs on my cheeks and chin but are not noticeable. Will my sideburns at least fill-in? Will it begin at the end of stage 4? Or does it usually start in stage 5?
I know I’m growing a beard because my dad has one and a few of my cousins. Do you think I’ll be in stage 5 by when summer starts or earlier base on the information I gave you?
I still haven’t grown any thigh hairs and inner thighs hairs. I have a strip of hair that grew upward to my naval and a bit more hair on top of my naval. I see tiny hairs on my chest. I know I’m growing chest hair soon because my dad has chest hair. Can you give me a little information about chest hair that I need to know?
I’m 16. Is it normal to start stage 5 at this age?
I haven’t grown in a year or so since I had my growth spurt. I put on 5 inches during it and since then I haven’t grown. I don’t know why? I’m 5’8 by the way and 142 lbs. I have a good amount of armpit hair but they are not thick. Are they still growing?
Thanks for everything.
Answer:
You remind me of the youngster in the back of the car who constantly asks, “Are we there yet?” Growth doesn’t happen rapidly. It took sixteen years to get to the point you are currently at. The typical age to reach stage 5 is around 17. However, the range can go from age 15 to age 20 and not be considered unusual.
I suspect that right now your body is focused more on developing your internal organs. You can’t easily see the progress, but those changes are necessary to support your larger body.
Yes, it is very common for one side of your body to outpace the other side when you are growing. The other side will eventually catch up.
Even hair growth takes time. Yes, your hair will fill in, but this will continue to happen even after you enter stage 5. It is not unusual for young men to not be able to grow a full beard until their mid-twenties.
I have only your description to go on and I can’t double-check what you see. I would suspect that you still will have almost a year to go before you reach stage 5. But it doesn’t matter. You’ll get there when the time is proper. The Tanner Stage Calculator only gives an estimate based on your observations of yourself. Overall, it tends to give a fairly good estimate.