ABSTRACT
Knowledge of hair follicle anatomy was amassed by European histologists in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Initial studies were limited to gross and light microscopic examination of the hair follicle. Further progress was made later in the twentieth century through scientific research involving molecular biology. This led to profound new insight into mechanisms of hair growth. Gross and microscopic hair follicular analyses were primarily performed on Caucasian populations. Later, studies of the hair structure of people of different ethnic backgrounds such as Asians, blacks, and Hispanics ensued.1,2 A basic understanding of the differences in the physical, morphologic, and histologic hair properties of the different ethnic groups is important in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients with hair loss. In addition, a working knowledge of the microscopic anatomy of the normal hair follicle in both vertical and horizontal sections is vital in the understanding of hair follicle disease, leading to accurate interpretation of scalp hair biopsies.
