In the majority of men, terminal hairs surround the face and body. Terminal hairs are generally longer than 2 cm, thick, concise and coloured. Both in women and men, the development of terminal hairs in the body first develops in the armpits and groin.
In Cases Where Testosterone Levels are High
Vellus hairs are known to become terminal hairs in men and women. For women, if the terminals are overloaded on the lips, jaws, necks, arms, thighs in the body back and abdominal region, it could be considered as male-type hair.
Hormone tests and physical examination may also be necessary to solve the problem. There are cases where excess hair does not pose a problem. This excessive hairiness in women is called hirsutism.
There are many causes of excessive hair growth, such as genetic and skin colour. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between terminal hairs and vellus hair, so the diagnosis of a specialist physician is very important. Hirsutism is probably the cause of hair follicular being sensitive to androgen hormone
The Way Terminal Hair Works
The terminal hairs form hair, eyebrows and eyelashes before puberty, and then replace the vellus hairs. The growth of hair usually lasts until the age of 40, depending on sexual development.
Depending on the position and function, the size and shape of the terminal’s hair can vary. The terminal hairs on the scalp can protect against UV rays. Also, the ones on the eyebrows and eyelashes prevent dust and liquid from entering the eyes. In addition, nasal hair prevents insects and other airborne materials from entering the nasal cavity.
What is Vellus Hair?
Vellus hairs are soft, well-modulated and poorly pigmented and cover the entire body except for the palms, soles, lips and genital areas. Females have more vellus hair than males. Vellus hairs are very common for infants and children. In puberty, most vellus hairs turn into terminal hairs.
The difference between Terminal Hair and Vellus Hair
When it comes to vellus hairs, we can say that they are soft fine hairs and less pigmented, terminal hairs are coarser and well pigmented.
The diameter of the terminal hair is generally more than 60 μm, whereas the diameter of the vellus hair is less than 30 μm.
In this sense, terminal hairs are longer than vellus hairs.
Unlike terminal hairs, vellus hair follicles penetrate the reticular dermis and do not reach the subcutaneous fat layer.
You can observe vellus hairs in many areas other than the palms, soles, lips and the genital regions. On the other hand, terminal hairs are on the scalp, underarms, pubic areas, and some other skin areas.
In some regions, vellus hairs turn into terminal hairs as a result of hormonal changes in puberty. esteGrande Instagram