Hair Mathematics
We have about 5 million hairs on the human body and there are approximately 100, 000 hairs on the scalp. Individuals with blonde hair have slightly more scalp hair follicles - about 110,000 to 120,000 and individuals with red hair have less – about 90, 000.
It is currently believed that hairs on the scalp and body are all formed at birth and no new hair follicles are formed during our lives. However, extremely exciting reserach over the last few years has shown that it is possible to stimulate the body to make new hair follicles under certain conditions, especially after wounding the skin. This has been shown in mice, but we don't yet know how to apply this information to humans. In the future, it may be possible to stimulate or trick the body to make new hair.
This article was written by Dr. Jeff Donovan, a Canadian and US board certified dermatologist specializing exclusively in hair loss.