What exactly is a hair follicle? This is what produces our hair, and when something goes wrong, it doesn’t. A healthy hair follicle will produce, on average, a hair growth rate of half an inch of hair per month. There are many factors that keep hair follicles healthy, as well as damage – or kill – them.
The hair follicle is actually a part of the skin which grows hair by packing old cells together. Attached to each follicle under the skin are sebaceous glands, and the more sebaceous glands there are, the thicker the density of hair. The sebaceous glands secrete an oily/waxy matter, called sebum, to lubricate the skin and hair – our natural conditioner. The glands deposit sebum on the hairs, and bring it to the skin surface along the hair shaft. At the base of the follicle is a large structure that is called the dermal papilla, and around the papilla is the hair matrix. Cell division in the hair matrix is responsible for the cells that will form the major structures of the hair fiber and the inner root sheath. This is one of the fastest growing cell populations in the human body, which is why some forms of chemotherapy that kill dividing cells may lead to temporary hair loss. The dermal papilla nourishes all hair follicles, and plays a pivotal role in hair formation, growth, and cycling.
Keeping the hair follicles healthy and supplied with the proper nutrients helps to prevent hair thinning and hair loss. For instance, androgens can adversely affect the dermal papilla and hair matrix’s ability to help grow hair — but it has been found that certain enzymes can lessen the adverse effect of androgens and promote hair growth. Hair needs a balanced diet to stay healthy with proper levels of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Hormonal imbalance can cause hair loss as well.
Each follicle normally goes through a five-year cycle of growth and rest, with about 90% of the follicles growing hair at any one time. These healthy hair follicles should last a life time, but there are several major causes of hair loss: genetics, aging, poor diet, and unhealthy lifestyle. We cannot control the aging process and genetics, but we can help keep our hair follicles, and bodies, healthy — and we can even stimulate hair growth where healthy hair follicles are present. Taking good care of your hair follicles and hair, with proper nutrition, supplements, and hair care products, can help maintain or increase hair growth.
Tags: hair follicles, hair growth, hair loss, hair thinning, promote hair growth, stimulate hair growth
Hair transplant is a surgical technique that involves moving skin containing hair follicles from one part of the body (the donor site) to bald or balding parts (the recipient site). It is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness, whereby grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding are transplanted to bald scalp.