How do Hairs Grow ?

Hair is like a thin thread or appears as a wire which grows from the skin. Every hair on the head is made up of keratin. Each hair on the head grows due to hair follicle which refers to the tiny holes deep in the skin. Each follicle consists of the part of the hair that is growing and alive known as a hair root. The part of the hair above the skin is dead and this is known as the hair shaft. This is that part of the hair which can grow long. The new hair cells are formed at the root of the hair shaft inside the follicle. As the cells develop, they push the existing cells out of the follicle. When they fall out, the cells die and one can see the hair on the head. In this way, the hairs are grown on the head and on the body.

The new cells will produce for a certain period of time inside a follicle depends on the location of the body. This period is known as the growth phase. After sometime, the hairs stops its growth for a certain period of time i.e for three to six months and that period is known as the rest phase. Then hairs gradually restart its growth again or another growth cycle starts. The hair shaft breaks when the hair follicle enters the rest phase and as a result a new hair takes place instead of the existing hair when it falls out.

There are three types of hairs which grow on the human body and they are:-

• Vellus hair – These hairs are the short and fine hair that grows on the human body in both men and women.

• Lanugo hair – These are fine hairs which grow on the whole body of embryos.

• Terminal hair – These are fully developed hair and can be thick, longer and coarser.

The mostly growth of hairs in the human body can be seen on the head which can be of any length and its density varies from person to person. Some people can have less tendency of growing hair and can be very thin and some have more. The women can have more growth of hairs on the head as compared to men. During the growth phase, the hair follicles grow for a long duration and it can grow upto 1.25 cm or about 0.5 inches per month.