Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Terminal hair

 
Sci-Tech Dictionary: terminal hair
Home > Library > Science > Sci-Tech Dictionary
(′tər·mən·əl ¦her)

(anatomy) One of three types of hair in man based on hair size, time of appearance, and structural variations; the larger, coarser hair in the adult that replaces the vellus hair.

Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Medical Dictionary: terminal hair
Top
Home > Library > Health > Medical Dictionary

n.

A mature hair.

Wikipedia: Terminal hair
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia

Terminal hairs are thick, long, and dark, as compared with vellus hair.[1] During puberty, the increase in androgenic hormone levels causes vellus hair to be replaced with terminal hair in certain parts of the human body.[2] These parts will have different levels of sensitivity to androgens, primarily of the testosterone family.[3]

The pubic area is particularly sensitive to such hormones, as are the armpits which will develop axillary hair.[4] Pubic and axillary hair will develop on both men and women, to the extent that such hair qualifies as a secondary sex characteristic,[5] although males will develop terminal hair in more areas. This includes facial hair, chest hair, abdominal hair, leg and arm hair, and foot hair.[6] Human females on the other hand can be expected to retain more of the vellus hair.[7]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Marks, James G; Miller, Jeffery (2006). Lookingbill and Marks' Principles of Dermatology (4th ed.). Elsevier Inc. Page 11. ISBN 1-4160-3185-5.
  2. ^ Androgens and Puberty. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 16, Issue 1, Pages 31 - 41. O. Hiort
  3. ^ How the Endocrine System Works. Matthew Neal, Contributor Lauren M. Sompayrac. Blackwell Publishing, 2001. Page 75
  4. ^ Hormone Research, Vol. 54, No. 5-6, 2000. The Hair Follicle: A Paradoxical Androgen Target Organ. Valerie A. Randall, Nigel A. Hibberts, M. Julie Thornton, Kazuto Hamada, Alison E. Merrick, Shoji Kato, Tracey J. Jenner, Isobel De Oliveira, Andrew G. Messenger
  5. ^ Human Reproduction at a Glance. Linda J. Heffner. Blackwell Publishing, 2001. Page 33
  6. ^ Forensic Examination of Hair. James Robertson. CRC Press, 1999. Page 47
  7. ^ How the Endocrine System Works. Matthew Neal, Contributor Lauren M. Sompayrac. Blackwell Publishing, 2001. Pages 70, 75

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Terminal hair".  Read more