Human Hair Form: Morphology Revealed by Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy and Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Reconstruction

September 1988 in “ PubMed ”

Bernt Lindelöf, B Forslind, M A Hedblad, Urban Kavéus

hair follicles hair form curly hair straight hair light microscopy scanning electron microscopy 3D reconstruction helical shape oval cross-section microscopy 3D reconstruction

TLDR Hair follicle shape determines hair type: curly, straight, or in-between.

The study examined the relationship between the shape of hair follicles and the form of hair (curly or straight) using light and scanning electron microscopy and computer-aided 3D reconstruction. Hair follicles from 10 patients representing three biological races were analyzed. The findings demonstrated that the form of the hair follicle determines the hair form: Negroid follicles have a helical shape, Oriental follicles are completely straight, and Caucasoid follicles vary between these extremes. Interestingly, even straight Caucasoid follicles can produce hair shafts with an oval cross-section.

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