Page 150 - Chapter 3 - Laser/IPL Hair Removal

Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal 2nd Edition
Introduction – The Hair Follicle
The follicle is a downward tubular extension of the epidermis of the skin. Hair follicles, together with the sebaceous gland, form the pilosebaceous system.
Hair has two distinct structures – the follicle which is the living part, and the hair shaft which is non-living.
Attached to the follicle below the sebaceous gland is the arrector pili muscle. It is the contraction of this muscle which causes the hair to stand on end – so giving the ‘goose pimple’ effect. Hair is composed of columns of dead keratin cells. We are typically born with around 5 million hairs, with up to 150,000 of them on the scalp.
All follicles are comprised of two distinct parts – the upper, permanent part which includes the stem cell bulge, the arrector pili muscle and the sebaceous gland. This part of the follicle is
Figure 83 - Hair follicles comprise of two parts – the upper, permanent part which survives the full growth cycle; and the lower, ‘cycling’ part which grows and dies as the follicle goes through the anagen-catagen cycle; and the lower, ‘cycling’ part which grows and dies as the follicle goes through the anagen-catagen cycle
________________________________________________________________________ 150 Chapter 3, Ed. 2.0 Laser/IPL Hair Removal
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always around whilst the lower part is not!