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Structure and Functions of Hair

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Structure and Functions of Hair

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Harsha
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CHAPTER-7 Hair To study and design hair preparations it is very much essential to have knowledge of hair. Hair is one of the vital parts of the body and considered to be accessory structure of the integument along with seba- ceous glands, sweat glands and nails. They are also known as epidermal derivatives as they originate _from the epidermis during embryological development. Hair is an important component of the overall appeal of the human body. Presence of hair in odd place can make a negative effect, whereas hair on head is a part of overall attraction and beauty of a human being. So, people take a lot of care of hair to make an impact or appeal. Hair and Hair Follicles Before puberty the hair is mainly present on the scalp, the eyebrows and eyelashes, irrespective of sex. At puberty hair grows in other places like axillae, over the pubes in both sexes and in male as beard on the face. Though all mammals have hair but hair in man is different from others. Hairs can be found nearly all over the surface of the skin except over some specific sites like the sides and soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, the sides of the fingers and toes, ‘the lips, and portions of the external genitalia. There are about_50,00,000 fairs on the human body and 98 per cent of them are on the” general body surface and about 1,00,000-1,20,000 are on the head. Population density of normal_adult Scalp hair is reported fo be between _225_hair om? on average with variable range of 175-300_hair cm2. The rate of hair growth has been Teported to be varying with sites. 2 with sites. Scalp and chin have highest rate of growth. The raté of growth of scalp hair is between 0.27-0.40 mm per day. The growth rate of axillary hair is nearly same. The growth rate for hair on body surface is about 0.2 mm per day. Though the daily Variations of temperature have no effect on te growth rate but the study i wticated higher growth rate of beard in summer than winter. a ae one study report which indicated that the growth of scalp hair 105 Scanned with CamScanner 106 A HANDBOOK OF CosMtieg women is faster than men. The growth rate of scalp hair is More jn = 2 eee oe, y a ‘and declines in old age. young and adults and declir nee —_—— Cuticle covering Medulla hair shaft Glassy Intemal root hair plexus sheath Fig. 7-1 Schematic structure of cross-section of hair Hair production is ‘a process of mutual involvement of both dermis and epidermis and originates from hair follicles. A schematic structure of hair is shown in Fig. 7-1. Hair follicles extend deep into the dermis, typically projecting into the underlying subcutaneous layer. The base of the hair follicle, called hair papilla, is a peg of connective tissue contain- ing capillaries and nerves. Hair papilla is further surrounded by hair bulb‘which consists of epithelial cells. Hair production is a specialized cornification process. The epithelial layer involved in hair production is called the hair matrix. Basal cells near the centre of the hair matrix divide by mitosis producing daughter cells and are gradually pushed towards the surface. The new soft cells are funnelled up through the constricted follicle. The cells produced closest to the centre of the matrix form the medulla or core of the hair. Cells closer to the edge of the developing hair form the cortex which is relatively hard. Soft flexible keratin is present in the medulla but the cortex contains hard Keratin which gives the hair its stiffness. Coat_of the hair is called Gaticle which is formed by the dead cells at the surface of the hair. It ontains ard keratin. The root of the hair is eXtended trom the hair billb to the point about halfway to the skin surface where internal hair is complete. The hair shaft is extended from The size, shape, colour and organization of the E i this point to the exposed tip of the hair. nature of the hair shaft are highly variable. : 1 The cells of the hair follicle walls are organized into three distinctive conceniric layers and include Scanned with CamScanner ch? HAIR (The internal root sheath that surround: i ae er portion of hese Is the hair root and the (2) The external root sheath that exte M nds from skin surface to the (3) The glassy membrane, a thickened basement membrane wrapped in a dense connective tissue sheath, In the adult integument there are two types of hair— Lay Vellums hairs : These are the fine i peach fuzz hairs located much of the body surface. _ 107 Oy Terminal hairs : These are heavy, more deeply pigmented, and sometimes curly. Examples are hairs on head, including eyebrows and eyelashes. eyerascs. Colour of hairs can vary from person to person. This reflects differences in structure and variations in the Pigment produced” by melanocytes at the hair papilla. Though these characteristics are geneti- cally determined, but hormonal and environmental factors can influence the conditions of the hair. With increasing age, pigment production decreases and the hair colour lighténs towards gray. White hair is the Fésult of combination of a lack of. pigment and the presence of air bubbles _within the medulla.of the hair shaft, But this change. in colouration is gradual as the hair is dead and inert, Apart from keratin, it also contains a small amount of uric acid. Colour is also varied according to the mineral content. In brown hair there is carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and water. Iron” content is more in red hair. Nornially carbon content is about 44% which is more than other elements. : Functions of Hair Hair has several important functions— The hair on head protect the scalp from ultraviolet light, cushion round the head, and insulate the skull. -(2) Eyebrows protect the eye from small foreign particles’ and insects, “Also it diverts sweat from the eyes. (3) Vivrissae, the hairs, guarding the entrances to nostrils eee nal ear canals filter the air and help prevent the entry of smal insects and foreign particles. (4) Body hair helps. in evaporation of perspiration and draining of external water from the body. Scanned with CamScanner 108 A HANDBOOK OF Cosmetic, (5) Hair is also part of sensing function. As, to check a root hair plexus of sensory nerves surrounds the base of each hair follicle, one can feel the movement of the shaft of even a single hair, This sensitivity acts as an early-warning system that may help to prevent injury. It is responsive to several.external stimulating conditigns like Tage, fear cold etc. and stands erect when stimulated erector pili pull on the follicles and force the hairs to stand erect. Ailments of Hair There can be some ailments to the normal health of hair and can cause trouble. There can be problem in pigmentation and thus changing the colour of the hair. Baldness or alopecia is one important problem and can be of differ- ent Kinds. Baldness can occur as a result of deficiency of diet, ill health or certain operations. Common baldness is of different type and occurs in maximum numbers. In this the hair is lost gradually and it_usually starts at the crown and. the temple. Common baldness is normally inherited. It can be passed on by the mother to her sons. Dandruff is caused by skin irritation, disease or microbial infection. In the first one it occurs because the stratuit cormeunt sheds large scales which are visible. This can be due to excessive brushing, or scratching, strong lotions and soft alkaline soaps used to wash the hair. These can harm the skin and break down the ‘er of the epidermis. The sScond form of dandruff is due to disease which causes the large scales of dandruff i ssoase which causes the large scale to fall on the shoulders. The,more the head is scratched, the faster these —_— Scales are produced, Scales are produced, Ateps to Keep Hair Healthy {D- Wash the hair with mild shampoos which are reinforced_by active substances. : (2) After shampooing treat the hair_witl sing preparations and i ad hs setting Totions in order to impart the gloss and firmness to it. ris . fe gs eee ea (3) Groom the hair with hair conditioners in order to make it elastic and protect it from deterioration after frequent permanent way. - eet WAY ing. (4) Preserve the hair and its growth by constant attention, using hair tions and hair' treatment packs containing active substances, hair'treatment packs ees ue Scanned with CamScanner -7 HAIR ch? 109 Hair Care Preparations To overcome ailments or other problems of hair and also for decora- tive or beautification purposes various hair care preparations are widely used. The need of demand of such products has increased over the years. It shares a high portion of cosmetic products marketed. All the hair care products can be classified in the following way and will be discussed in the Proceeding chapters accordingly. oy Tfair cleansers : Various shampoos like clear liquids, liquid creams, solid creams or gels, anti-dandruff shampoos, oil shampoos, ‘powders, dry shampoos, etc. &y Hair dressings : Anhydrous brilliantines, pomades, hair_oils, hair creams, gum based hair dressings, hair lacquers, alcohol-based hair lotions, resin lotions, sprays. @y Hair_wavers, curlers and straighteners : Hot waving, cold waving, tepid waves, roller and pin perms, instant perms. Hair tonics : Preparations containing various_substances like sulphur derivatives, vitamins, etc. 46) Hair removers : Depilatories, epilatories. {6)- Hair dyes and bleaches (hair colorants) : Various_dyes_and bleaching preparations. (7) Shaving preparations : Soaps, creams. | Scanned with CamScanner

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