From the Guidelines
Your body does not produce new hair follicles after birth, with the total number of hair follicles established during fetal development. The average adult has approximately 5 million hair follicles throughout their body, with about 100,000 to 150,000 on the scalp 1. While new follicles don't develop, existing follicles continuously cycle through growth phases. Each follicle operates independently, cycling through active growth (anagen), transitional (catagen), and resting (telogen) phases. The anagen phase typically lasts 2-7 years for scalp hair, during which a single follicle produces one hair shaft. When a hair falls out naturally, the same follicle will eventually produce a new hair. This explains why we continuously shed and grow hair throughout our lives despite having a fixed number of follicles. Some key points to consider include:
- The number of hair follicles is fixed at birth and does not change throughout life 1
- Existing follicles can be treated with various therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), to improve hair growth and density 1
- Certain conditions like androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness) can cause follicles to miniaturize over time, producing progressively thinner hairs until they may become dormant, but the follicles themselves remain present 1
- Research has shown that PRP and PRF can be effective in treating androgenetic alopecia, with PRP combined with topical minoxidil being the most effective treatment modality 1.
From the Research
Hair Follicle Production
- The body's ability to produce new follicles of hair is not directly addressed in the provided studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, the studies discuss the miniaturization of hair follicles and the treatment of androgenetic alopecia, which suggests that the production of new follicles is not a common occurrence in adults.
- The studies focus on the treatment of existing hair loss and the promotion of hair growth from existing follicles, rather than the creation of new follicles.
Hair Growth Cycle
- The study by 4 mentions that anagen initiation from pre-existing but functionally deficient follicles occurred mainly during combined drug treatment.
- This suggests that the body can reactivate dormant hair follicles, but it does not provide information on the production of new follicles.
- The study by 5 discusses the effectiveness of combined oral minoxidil and finasteride in treating male androgenetic alopecia, but it does not address the production of new follicles.
Treatment Options
- The studies discuss various treatment options for androgenetic alopecia, including topical minoxidil, oral finasteride, and combination therapy 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- These treatments aim to promote hair growth, reduce hair loss, and improve the overall appearance of the hair.
- However, they do not address the production of new hair follicles.