Understanding How Hair Grows

Understanding How Hair Grows - The hair system is known the pilosebaceous system.

It consists of four main parts:

1. Follicle - the hair canal 2. Papilla - the organ that feeds hair growth 3. Sebaceous Gland - the associated oil gland 4. Hair - shaft or structure which has hardened (keratinized)

Follicle A hair follicle is an indention in the skin.

The inside of each follicle therefore is much like the skin's surface being an inward fold into the skin with a mechanism for producing a hair.

The lower portion of the follicle has an expanded shape and is called the follicle bulb where there is an area of actively dividing cells called the hair matrix.

This is the source of hair production. The follicle and the hair it produces continue through repeated cycles of growth and rest.

Papilla At the base of the follicle lies a tiny structure made of skin- related cells called the dermal papilla which feeds the newly formed hair cells from its blood supply.

These newly formed hair cells grow continuously and die continuously, forming a hardened or keratinized structure - the hair shaft.

The hair shaft continues to grow outward from the follicle base.

Sebaceous Gland The sebaceous glands or oil glands are located close beneath the surface of the skin over the entire body.

There are a large number concentrated in the facial area. The oily material secreted is called sebum.

Sebum lubricates the hair shaft and the skin.

Hair The papillary region is often referred to as the "hair root," the portion which grows below the surface of the skin which is contained within the follicle canal.

The hair shaft is the portion of the hair that grows above the skin surface.

Generally speaking, two types of hair are produced by the follicle:

vellus terminal

Vellus hair is like "peach fuzz" and it is normally found on a woman's cheek or a young child. It is soft, downy and colorless. The follicles producing vellus hair are shallow, and the hair shaft produced is relatively short. Vellus hair is normal in women and is not treated with permanent hair removal techniques such as electrolysis.

Terminal hair is deeply rooted, coarse, and colored. Terminal hair begins as the peach fuzz type but later develops color and some degree of coarseness at which point it becomes the terminal type.

Terminal hair grows from the scalp, eyebrows, underarms, pubic area, and other parts of the body.

It is terminal hair which many people regard as unwanted and therefore try to remove from certain body areas.

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July 7, 2005 in Hair Loss Research | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

What Is Normal About Hair Loss?

It is important to note that shedding of hairs is a natural process with anything from 100 to 300 hairs randomly shed each day. In this article we'll look at two distinct aspects of normal hair loss. Firstly, we'll examine what is actually involved in the hair growth cycle. Secondly, we'll assess the natural progression of hair loss over time.

Hair is composed of long, twisted keratin fibers that are protected by a coating of keratinized cells. Just below the surface of the skin lies a cluster of active cells known as the dermal papilla and it is from here that the hair grows into its follicle.

This growing fiber eventually hardens and grows out from the scalp. At this stage the hair fiber is dead with only the root tip containing living cells.

In a little more detail, the hair growth cycle, consists of three distinct stages:

1. Anagen stage - a phase of growth that can last between two and seven years. On average, each hair grows about six inches (15cm) per year.

2. Catagen stage - a phase of transition that lasts roughly two to four weeks. At this time the hair shaft detaches from the dermal papilla and moves up within a shrinking follicle.

3. Telogen stage - a resting period that lasts about three months allowing the hair to detach itself from the follicle before falling out. After this, the cycle repeats itself unless other factors intervene to prevent repetition of the cycle.

Clearly time has a role to play in the development of hair loss for both men and women. Humans are born with varying amounts of soft and fine body hair. Through time some of this hair becomes stronger and develops further characteristics such as colour and texture. Up to the onset of puberty the hairline is characterized by a low spread across the forehead. For men, this continues only for a few more years.

As men progress through their twenties the hairline takes on a more mature look typified by recessions to the frontal temporal regions and accompanied by slight thinning elsewhere. This concave appearance doesn't necessarily equate to premature balding as it is all a question of degree.

The Norwood Scale is an extremely useful tool in developing a hair growth strategy as it allows you to establish your own degree of hair loss in a way that is understood by physicians and other hair loss experts. More importantly, it can help to set your mind at rest and allow you to differentiate between normal hair loss that does not require remedial action and more extreme loss that calls for immediate action.

You can assess the extent of your own hair loss by following the link below.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the myhairlossadvisor.com, website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss. Please go to Normal Hair Loss to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

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May 20, 2005 in Hair Loss Research | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hair loss

Hair plays a significant role in our life. Another person's hair is one of the first characteristics we notice upon meeting. Our own hair is one of the first and last things we attend to before a meeting or a social engagement. Hair disorder, especially when severe, often profoundly affects the lives of those afflicted. Severe hair loss evokes not only cosmetic concerns but may also evoke feelings of vulnerability (nakedness), loss of self-esteem, alterations in self-image, and, perhaps, even self-identity.

In 1992, researchers at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, surveyed 145 men, and found that 84 percent of the balding men were preoccupied with their loss. They described themselves as filled with self-consciousness, helplessness, and envy of men with full heads of hair. Single men and woman who had begun losing hair in their early twenties were more likely to suffer from extremely low self-esteem.

While stressful, balding isn't the end of the world. Although the men reported glancing in the mirror constantly and wearing hats even in warm weather, they manage to make it through their daily lives without much problem. For some it even sparked self-improvement tactics like fiddling with hair styles, working out more, and dressing better.

May 17, 2005 in Hair Loss Research | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hair Loss Research

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May 13, 2005 in Hair Loss Research | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack