This
site is not intended to offend anyone, but some
of the pictures some folks may find offensive.
While not pornographic, they are sexual in
nature. Please enjoy
The hair root is the fastest
growing organ in the body. The hair on the scalp, for
example, grows at an average rate of 0.4mm a day (roughly
1/2 an inch a month). Hair cells are formed in the matrix
of the hair root that is situated in the deepest part of
the hair follicle. Hair grows as a result of a continuous
process whereby new cells form, mature and finally die,
moving upwards as they do so. The hair shaft, the only
bit of hair that is visible, is composed of keratin,
shares the skin's slight acidity and is entirely dead. In
this and many other respects it much resembles the nail,
another horny appendage of the skin.
The rate at which hair cells in the
matrix reproduce is greater than every other tissue in the
body except the bone marrow. Such a highly active tissue
is likely to react to illness or stress and if these are
severe enough to interfere with the rate of cell division
within the matrix, the result may be an immediate slowing
down of hair growth.
There are four different types of
hair. They are:
Scalp hair (discussed in detail on
this site)
Eyebrow and eyelash hair, whose
function is mainly protective.
Underarm and Pubic hair, which
clearly marks out and embellishes the genital organs.
Hair does not grow at a constant
rate. In the first place, its growth is seasonal - it
grows faster in summer than in winter. Second, hair does
not grow indefinitely. The growth phase of hair varies
from person to person. It generally lasts for two to six
years but it may go on for much longer, as the fact that
some people have hair 1ong enough to sit on indicates.
When the growth phase ends, the hair follicle enters the
resting phase of its cycle. This lasts for a few months
only.
Club hair is the old hair
that stops growing and simply remains in the follicle
until a new hair forms underneath and pushes it out. We
lose club hair all the time without noticing it - between
20 and 100 each day. Fortunately the growth or resting
phases are not synchronised in adjacent follicles.
Hair growth is under hormonal
control. The hormones govern the development of hair that
appears after puberty. The male hormone, testosterone,
governs beard, body hair and hair in the armpits. The
female hormone, oestrogen, generally prevents hair growth
on the chin and encourages it to grow on the head.
Occasionally woman develop signs of male patterned
baldness at menopause when oestrogen levels drop.
Treatment with oestrogen has been successful in restoring
hair growth.
What
causes disturbances of hair growth?
All the hair follicles a person will
ever have are present at birth. Follicles that die are not
replaced and never again produce a hair. It follows that
any condition that destroys large number of follicles
makes the hair permanently thin. This is what happens in
male baldness and in certain rare, scarring diseases of
the scalp. Proprietary hair-restorers will do nothing
whatsoever to help these conditions. Nothing can make a
dead hair follicle produce new roots.
Illness, prolonged drug therapy or
emotional stress can also affect hair growth and its
quality, so that patches of thinning hair appear. However,
this condition, called alopecia, is usually only
temporary. Quite often the result is simply to shorten the
hair's life cycle so that it enters its resting phase
prematurely. Rather than cause hair loss, illness may make
the hair thinner in diameter, more liable to split and
less shiny.
If a serious illness sends the
majority of hair into a simultaneous resting phase, their
loss will show up as a thinning of hair or even as bald
patches but within a matter of months the new hair should
grow through.
Pregnancy, a very dramatic event
physiologically, can have this effect too. It is quite
common for a new mother to experience some degree of
post-partum hair loss, a worrying phenomenon.
When the hair grows again (and this
may take up to two years) it may have different
characteristics from before. It may grow wavy or straight
for example, instead of curly. This is simply a reflection
of the immense impact that pregnancy and child-bearing
have upon a woman's body. There is, unfortunately no
specific treatment for this condition, but it is advisable
to treat the hair and scalp as gently as possible during
the period of regrowth.
This
site does not provide medical or any other health care advice, diagnosis or
treatment. The site and its services, including the information above, are for
informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical
advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment.Always seek the advice of your
doctor. Medical information changes rapidly
and, some information
may be out of date.
This
site does not provide medical or any other health care advice, diagnosis or
treatment. The site and its services, including the information above, are for
informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical
advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment.Always seek the advice of your
doctor. Medical information changes rapidly
and, some information
may be out of date.
