Hair follicle
A
hair follicle is part of the
skin that grows
hair by packing old
cells together. Attached to the follicle is a
sebaceous gland, a tiny
sebum-producing
gland found everywhere except on the
palms, lips and
soles of the feet. The thicker
density of hair, the more sebaceous glands are found.
At the base of the follicle is a small structure that is called the
papilla. The papilla is made up mainly of
connective tissue and a capillary loop. Cell division in the papilla is either rare or non-existent. Around the papilla is the hair matrix, a collection of
epithelial cells often interspersed with
melanocytes. Cell division in the hair matrix is responsible for the cells that will form the major structures of the hair fibre and the inner root sheath. The hair matrix epithelium is one of the fastest growing cell populations in the human body, which is why some forms of
chemotherapy that kill dividing cells or
radiotherapy may lead to temporary hair loss, by their action on this rapidly dividing cell population. The papilla is usually ovoid or pear shaped with the matrix wrapped completely around it except for a short stalk-like connection to the surrounding connective tissue that provides access for the capillary.
Also attached to the follicle is a tiny bundle of
muscle fiber called the
arrector pili that is responsible for causing the follicle and hair to become more perpendicular to the surface of the skin, and causing the follicle to protrude slightly above the surrounding skin. This process results in
goose bumps (or goose flesh).
Stem cells are located at the junction of the arrector and the follicle, and are principally responsible for the ongoing hair production during the Anagen stage.
Hair grows in cycles of various phases:
anagen is the growth phase;
catagen is the involuting or regressing phase; and
telogen, the resting or quiescent phase. Each phase has several morphologically and histologically distinguishable sub-phases. Prior to the start of cycling is a phase of
follicular morphogenesis (formation of the follicle). There is also a shedding phase, or
exogen, that is independent of anagen and telogen in which one of several hairs that might arise from a single follicle exits. Normally up to 90% of the hair follicles are in anagen phase while, 10–14% are in telogen and 1–2% in catagen. The cycle's length varies on different parts of the body. For
eyebrows, the cycle is completed in around 4
months, while it takes the
scalp 3–4
years to finish; this is the reason eyebrow hairs have a fixed length, while hairs on the head seem to have no length limit. Growth cycles are controlled by a chemical signal like
epidermal growth factor.
Hair growth cycle times
*Scalp: The time these phases last varys from person to person. Different hair colour and follicle shape effects the timings of these phases.
**anagen phase, 2–3 years (occasionally much longer)
**catagen phase, 2–3 weeks
**telogen phase, around 3 months
*Eyebrows etc:
**anagen phase, 4–7 months
**catagen phase, 3–4 weeks
**telogen phase, about 9 months
* (
comprehensive topic review, successor to landmark review of 1954 by HB Chase)
