Human hair is always an interesting topic of research, with the hair representing and containing a whole lot of information about the individual’s personality and traits. The structure of the hair is quite simple, but has a key role to play in social functioning. Hair is composed of keratin, which is a protein. In this article, let us take a deep dive into examining the hair closely and into the anatomy of hair.
Hair is anchored into the skin’s surface by the hair follicle. Hair originates from the hair follicle. The base of the hair follicle is the hair bulb. Hair bulb is where the cell division occurs and cell growth occurs for building up of the hair shaft.=
Hair growth happens in cycles and has three phases associated with it, listed below:
- The Growth phase (Anagen) – Anagen phase usually lasts around 3 to 5 years. In a healthy scalp, most hair follicles are in the anagen phase continuously. Every hair passes through several years in this phase.
- The transitional phase (Catagen) – Catagen phase is when the growth rate of hair is slower. This phase typically lasts for a few weeks. The hair follicle is noted to shrink during this phase.
- Resting phase (Telogen) – In this phase, hair growth completely stops. This phase lasts for months and the old hair gets dislodged from the hair follicle. When the growth phase resumes, the old hair gets pushed out by the new hairs that start growing.
Hair grows at an average rate of about half inch per month. Everyday, almost 50 scalp hairs are lost in the hair growth cycle.
Hair loss typically starts when very less new hair grow during the growth phase. Examining male pattern baldness has revealed that scalp hair becomes thinner and shorter and contains less pigmentation with progression of hair growth cycles. As to what controls hair loss, a single autosomal gene that gets regulated by the levels of androgens is to be blamed. Genetic factors thus are found to play a dominant role in baldness.
Luckily, baldness does not need to be a challenge to your self esteem anymore. Hair transplantation is a great way to regain your hair back – the strip method and the follicular unit grafting methods are both excellent means to fight balding and restore your hairline effectively. Dr.Jones is the ultimate authority in the field of hair transplantation – call us to schedule your appointment with Dr.Jones today!
