Biology of the Hair Follicle and Mechanisms of Nonscarring and Scarring Alopecia

June 2015 in “ Seminars in cutaneous medicine and surgery ”

Thomas W. Chu, Leopoldo Duailibe Nogueira Santos, Kevin J. McElwee

hair follicle nonscarring alopecia scarring alopecia hair fiber caliber hair density anagen phase telogen phase inflammation genetics hormones hair growth cycle hair follicle size hair follicle regeneration hair growth phases

TLDR Hair loss can be caused by various factors, and treatments focus on restoring normal hair growth.

The document reviewed the basic biology of the hair follicle and the mechanisms behind various hair disorders, both nonscarring and scarring alopecia. It highlighted that hair disorders involve changes in hair fiber caliber, density, and the duration of hair growth phases (anagen and telogen). These disorders could be triggered by factors such as inflammation, genetics, environment, or hormones. Treatments aimed to normalize the hair growth cycle, modulate hair follicle size, and potentially regenerate hair follicles to maintain hair density. The review used selected examples to illustrate these points.

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