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Summary
The average person has 5 million hairs. Hair grows all over your body except on your lips, palms, and the soles of your feet. It takes about a month for healthy hair to grow half an inch. Most hairs grow for up to six years and then fall out. New hairs grow in their place.
Hair helps keep you warm. It also protects your eyes, ears and nose from small particles in the air. Common problem with the hair and scalp include hair loss, infections, and flaking.
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Tips for Healthy Hair (American Academy of Dermatology)
Treatments and Therapies
- Laser Hair Removal (Logical Images)
- Removing Hair Safely (Food and Drug Administration)
Related Issues
- African-American Hair: Tips for Everyday Care (American Academy of Dermatology)
- Dandruff (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Hair Dye and Hair Relaxers
(Food and Drug Administration)
Also in Spanish
- How to Shave (American Academy of Dermatology)
- How to Stop Damaging Your Hair (American Academy of Dermatology)
Specifics
- Folliculitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Hirsutism (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Ingrown Hair (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Genetics
-
Genetics Home Reference: autosomal recessive hypotrichosis
(National Library of Medicine)
-
Genetics Home Reference: keratoderma with woolly hair (National Library of Medicine)
-
Genetics Home Reference: monilethrix (National Library of Medicine)
Images
- Folliculitis (Logical Images)
- Hot Tub Rash (Pseudomonas Folliculitis) (Logical Images)
- Pilar Cyst (Logical Images)
- Razor Bumps (Pseudofolliculitis Barbae) (Logical Images)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Hair Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Acanthosis Nigricans and Insulin Resistance.
- Article: Identifying Mutations of the Tetratricopeptide Repeat Domain 37 (TTC37) Gene...
- Article: Case Report: Bazex Syndrome Associated With Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma.
- Hair Problems -- see more articles
- Hair restoration -- see more articles
Children
- Why Does Hair Turn Gray? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Hair Removal (Nemours Foundation)
- Removing Pubic Hair (For Young Women) (Children's Hospital Boston) Also in Spanish
- Taking Care of Your Hair (Nemours Foundation)
Women
- Evaluation and Treatment of Hirsutism in Premenopausal Women (Hormone Health Network) - PDF
- Hirsutism and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF
Patient Handouts
- Aging changes in hair and nails Also in Spanish
- Dry hair Also in Spanish
- Excessive or unwanted hair in women Also in Spanish
- Folliculitis Also in Spanish
- Trichorrhexis nodosa Also in Spanish
