Hair

Hair is found on almost every part of the body surface except on the palms, soles, the dorsal surface of the terminal phalanges, the inner surface of the labia, the inner surface of the prepuce and the glans penis. Hairs differ in length (short or long), thickness (thick or thin) and colour (black, brown or blonde) in different parts of the body and in different races (curly or straight). There are three types of hair:

1. Long, medullated, pigmented hair seen on the scalp.

2. Short, fme, non-medullated and non-pigmented 'lanugo' hair seen in women, children, and on the faces and trunks of adults (vellus hair). Even in bald persons vellus hair may be present.

3. Thick bristles seen in the nose and the ears.

Hair grows about 1-2 cm. per month. The growth varies in different people, races and also on the different parts of the body.

Hair growth and development is under endocrine control. Fine balance of oestrogens, androgens and gonadotrophins determines the pattern in an individual.

Hair follicle and its hair can be anatomically divided into three segments:

1. Infundibulum: Extends from pilar orifice above to the entrance of sebaceous gland below.
2. Isthmus: The short midsection of the follicle bounded superiorly by the sebaceous duct and inferiorly by the insertion of arrector pilorom muscle.
3. Inferior: This extends from the insertion of muscle to the base of the follicle. The upper segments of the isthmus and infundibulum are permanent. The entire follicle beneath the isthmus disappears during the involutionary stages of the hair cycle and again reforms during the growth cycle.

The hair follicle and its hair are fundamentally one structure derived partly from undifferentiated cells of the foetal epidermis. It is better to combine hair follicle, hair and sebaceous glands as one functional unit. In post-foetal life following the establishment of hair germ, growth occurs upwards as well as down the dermis. Hair follicles are found at different levels in the dermis. The coarse terminal hair extends up into the subcutaneous. fat, fine body hair up to the mid-dermis, and fine vellus hair to superficial dermis.

Healthy hair

• Hair Conditioning
• Home-made Herbal Hair Tonic
• Dandruff
• Patchy Baldness
• Greying of Hair
• Baldness among Men and Women
• Dry, Brittle and Dull Hair
• Pediculosis - Lice Infestation