Hair Follicle: How Does it Function?

Research states that we have, on average, over 5 million hair follicles across our entire body, with 100,000 on our scalp alone.

A hair follicle is a small structure in the skin responsible for hair growth, consisting of a bulb at the base that contains growth cells and a dermal papilla that supplies nutrients.

Sebaceous glands associated with hair follicles produce oil to condition the hair and skin.

The health and function of hair follicles are essential for maintaining hair growth and scalp health.

Today, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the human hair follicle.

We’ll touch upon its functions, potential conditions, growth cycle, and ways to stimulate them back into action!

1. What it is
2. Structure
3. Growth
4. Function
5. Conditions
6. Tests
7. Stimulation

What is a hair follicle?

Hair begins its journey at the follicle, a long shaft found in the outer layer of our skin.

It is microscopic and is the site where hairs sprout from.

The follicle’s base has a blood vessel supply, which nourishes and supports the growing hair.

Over time, the strand slowly rises to the surface of the hair shaft and protrudes from the skin.

The base of the follicle has a supply of blood vessels, which nourish and support the growing hair.

Over time, and as the hair follicle is created, the strand slowly rises to the surface of the hair shaft.

Located inside the follicle are the sebaceous glands.

These produce the natural oil, sebum, which keeps hair and skin moisturized and lubricated.

Together with fat molecules, sebaceous glands also form a coating on the hair that protects it from germs and debris.

Hair follicle structure

Despite its small size, the follicle consists of many different parts, each crucial to ensuring hair grows strong and secure.

Hair follicle morphogenesis (development) relies on four essential features:

1. Dermal Papilla

The dermal papilla is located at the bottom of follicles and comprises of blood vessels, connective tissue, and mesenchymal cells (stem cells).

Together, they nourish strands and ensure a blood supply to the follicle.

2. Germinal Matrix

The germinal matrix surrounds the dermal papilla and is the site for new hair growth when old hair dies and falls out.

The germinal matrix is also where melanin is transported to the hair, giving it its pigmentation or hair color.

3. Hair Bulb

This is a rounded structure found at the bottom of the follicle, surrounding both the dermal papilla and germinal matrix.

The hair’ root begins here, anchoring the strand to the follicle. The hair bulb is the “living” part of the hair, where cell division occurs.

It also contains hormones that activate at certain life stages, like puberty, to stimulate different hair changes.

4. Bulge

The hair bulge acts as a reservoir for epidermal stem cells, crucial to regenerating the hair follicle.

It is found in the middle of the follicle and serves as an insertion point for the arrector pili muscle.

The arrector pili help our skin to regulate heat.

Where are the hair follicles located?

The short answer to this is – follicles are found everywhere.

Wherever there is hair on your body, you will undoubtedly have hair follicles on the skin. But where exactly are they in the body?

Human skin has three layers, and follicles usually originate in the first and second layers (epidermis and dermis).

Some hair grows from the third layer (subcutaneous tissue), such as on our scalp, and terminal hair, such as eyelashes and eyebrows.

The hair growth cycle

There are four different stages to a normal hair growth cycle.

Not all strands are at the same stage, even if they are located near each other.

Let’s take a quick look at how new hair grows at each stage:

1. Anagen (The Growth Phase)

The first stage is the anagen phase, which lasts for 3 to 7 years.

Hair continues to grow until trimmed or falls out on its own accord.

About 85% of hair found on a healthy scalp is in this current growth phase.

2. Catagen (The Regression phase)

In the second stage, hair growth begins to slow down.

The hair follicle shrinks, and the hair shaft separates itself from its base over a few weeks.

3. Telogen (The Resting Phase)

About 15% of hairs on the scalp are in the third stage, known as the Telogen phase.

This resting phase lasts about 3 months and is the period when hair is not actively growing.

Researchers think this period is a particularly crucial phase for hair because a hive of cellular activity happens to stimulate regeneration and prepare the follicle for a return to the anagen phase once more.

4. Exogen (The Shedding Stage)

The fourth and final stage of hair follicle cycling is the exogen phase, which lasts 2 to 5 months.

This is an extension of the telogen stage and sees hair fall out of the root.

Often called club hair, we lose between 50 to 100 strands daily.

How big is a hair follicle?

Follicles are microscopic, so you cannot see them with the naked eye. There are certain things, though, that influence their size.

Different body parts have different-sized cells, e.g., hair follicle cells on your scalp will be different than on your chest.

Secondly, people of different races may have differently-sized and shaped follicles.

Caucasian people, for example, often have elongated follicles that help produce straight or wavy hair.

Black people have curvier-shaped follicles, resulting in tightly curled hair.

What is the function of hair follicles?

Only by understanding the critical function of hair follicles will you go that extra mile to support them.

So what exactly is their purpose?

Think of them as the brains of the hair, responsible for a range of things, including shape and appearance, color, and hair growth.

1. Shape

Different follicles produce different hair types, depending on their location.

This is why our scalp hair differs from chest hair, etc. Furthermore, shape defines what texture of hair we grow.

2. Colour

Hair gains pigment colour from melanin, which you can find in follicular cells.

There are two types of melanin found in hair; eumelanin and pheomelanin.

A large amount of eumelanin results in black hair, while a medium amount produces brown.

Tiny amounts cause blonde, while pheomelanin makes red hair.

As you grow older, you may be unable to maintain the same level of melanin, leading to greying hair.

3. Growth

Follicles regulate hair growth, including the four stages of hair development (Anagen, Catagen, Telogen & Exogen).

On average, hair will grow at around half an inch per month.

Hairs will typically regrow after being pulled from their follicles.

However, a damaged follicle will be unable to grow new hairs. Alopecia and other hair loss conditions can further prevent follicles from functioning normally.

4 common issues affecting hair follicles

So many hair loss conditions stem from poor hair follicle health.

Only by visiting your doctor and a dermatologist can you safely get answers as to why your follicles are in trouble.

Below are four of the most common conditions:

1. Alopecia areata

Also known as spot baldness, alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that sees your immune system attacking hair follicles.

Although there is no cure for alopecia areata, there are treatments and medications which can help alleviate symptoms and slow progression.

2. Androgenetic alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness, is a widespread condition that affects approximately half of men aged 50 and over in the UK.

3. Telogen effluvium

Another common cause of hair loss that affects follicles is telogen effluvium, which causes hair to drastically thin, shed, and fall out. It is typically more common in women than in men.

High levels of stress can trigger telogen effluvium.

4. Hair follicle infection (Folliculitis)

Folliculitis is an inflammation that creates a rash of tiny bumps on your skin.

It can affect any part of your body. Spots can become sore and itchy, range in colour from white, yellow, and red, and may contain pus.

How to treat infected hair follicle:

1. Keep Clean: Wash the area twice a day with mild soap to aid healing.
2. Topical Antibiotics: Use over-the-counter antibiotics to fight infection.
3. Avoid Shaving: Don’t shave the affected area to prevent further irritation.
4. Avoid Irritants: Stay away from harsh skincare products that contain harmful additives.
5. Seek Medical Attention: If the hair follicle infection worsens consult a healthcare provider.

What tests are used to assess the health of the hair follicles?

As with any condition, your doctor will want to examine your scalp closely and consider your health and medical history when diagnosing you.

Some tests are used to get additional information, including:

• Blood test – the primary diagnostic tool used to check hair condition. Tests may involve a complete blood count, an ANA test (to detect autoimmune diseases),  and a c-reactive protein test (to check infections and inflammation).
• Biopsy – A small tissue sample is extracted from your skin and sent to a laboratory for microscopic examination.
• Pull test – This simple test sees your doctor pull a section of your hair. They will examine its strength and if and how many strands come out.

Can you stimulate hair follicles to grow new hair?

Hair loss sufferers often wonder if they can regrow hair by stimulating follicles back into action and avoiding invasive procedures.

Unfortunately, damaged hair follicles cannot grow hair; there’s no known way to change this.

That said, research is ongoing. One of the most promising areas is stem cell therapy, which could potentially revive follicles – though further testing is required.

You can keep up to date with the latest information on stem cell hair transplants here.

Presently, the most effective treatment which yields permanent results is hair transplantation.

This is a simple procedure where a specialist transfers healthy follicles strategically into targetted areas suffering shedding or baldness.

You can strengthen existing follicles with certain products and treatments, including essential oils, caffeine shampoos, massage therapy, medications like minoxidil, and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections.

Hair Follicle FAQ