Hair
Hair is made up of threads of cells that develop from the epidermis and cover most of the body. Every hair has a cortex, medulla, and cuticle. The medulla is in the center and contains soft keratin and air. The cortex is the innermost layer, and the thickest, and this gives hair its color. The cuticle is the outer layer and it has cells that overlap like scales (as can be seen above). Hair also has a protective function; eyebrows for example help keep things from getting into our eyes, like sweat. We also have hair in our ears that help filter out things like dust . The hairs on our scalp help protect us against overexposure to the sun.
Hair Disorders
Hair disorders range from alopecia, a form of hair loss, to split ends and coarse, brittle hair. Autoimmunity, stress, radiation, pregnancy, iron deficiency and certain diseases can cause alopecia. This disorder causes hair loss, including the lashes and eyebrows, and possibly lesions. Processing hair too much through heated appliances, coloring and other treatments causes split ends and hair damage. In addition to medical treatment, ingesting vitamins such as C and B, eating antioxidant foods, avoiding caffeine and drinking about six glasses of water daily promotes healthy hair
Fun facts
- It is normal to lose 100 hairs per day from the scalp
-Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body
-90% of scalp hairs are growing and 10% are resting
-The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Red heads have about 80,000. Brown and black haired people have about 100,000. Blondes have the most with 120,000.
-Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body
-90% of scalp hairs are growing and 10% are resting
-The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Red heads have about 80,000. Brown and black haired people have about 100,000. Blondes have the most with 120,000.