What is the anatomy of a hair follicle?

The hair follicle can be divided into 3 regions: the lower segment (bulb and suprabulb), the middle segment (isthmus), and the upper segment (infundibulum). The lower segment extends from the base of the follicle to the insertion of the erector pili muscle (also known as the arrector pili muscle).

How does a hair follicle look like?

In biological terms, hair follicle looks like a tunnel-shaped structure situated in the epidermis (outer layer of the skin) [2]. Hair growth starts at the bottom of the hair follicle. The root of your hair is made up of protein (keratin) [3] and derives its nutrition by blood from the blood vessels on the skin.

What shape does a hair follicle take?

tunnel-shaped
A hair follicle is a tunnel-shaped structure in the epidermis (outer layer) of the skin.

What layer is the hair follicle in?

Hair follicles originate in the epidermis and have many different parts. Hair is a keratinous filament growing out of the epidermis. It is primarily made of dead, keratinized cells. Strands of hair originate in an epidermal penetration of the dermis called the hair follicle.

What are the five main parts of a hair follicle?

The lower portion of the hair follicle consists of five major portions:

  • The dermal papilla.
  • The matrix.
  • The hair shaft, consisting from inward to outward the medulla, cortex, and cuticle.
  • The inner root sheath (IRS) consisting of the inner root sheath cuticle, Huxley’s layer, and Henle’s layer.
  • The outer root sheath (ORS).

What are the two principal layers of the hair follicle?

Sensory nerve endings called the root hair plexus surround the bulb. The wall of this bag is made of two layers: the external layer is the connective tissue root sheath derived from the dermis and the internal layer is the epithelial root sheath derived from the epidermis.

Are hair follicles visible?

And dark-haired individuals may have more visible hair follicles than light-haired people, simply because the dark hair follicles can show beneath the skin. To keep your skin looking smooth, get rid of visible hair follicles through a variety of methods. Tweeze small groups of hairs by the follicles.

What is the cross section shape of curly hair?

Curly hairs have an elliptical or “D” shape in cross section.

What determines the shape of the hair shaft as it grows from the follicle?

The outer three layers become the lining of the follicle. Specific cells in the hair bulb, called melanocytes, make the pigment called melanin that gives your hair its colour. The shape of your hair follicle determines the shape of your hair (i.e. whether it is straight, wavy or curly).

How deep is a hair follicle?

Results: The mean length of a scalp hair follicle is 4.16 mm. The infundibulum measures 0.76 mm, the isthmus 0.89 mm, and the inferior portion 2.5 mm. The insertion of the arrector pili muscle is located 1.65 mm deep.

What are the 3 layers of the hair shaft?

Each hair shaft is made up of two or three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and sometimes the medulla.