Letter H

Hair follicle

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A sac from which a hair grows and into which the sebaceous (oil) glands open.

The follicle is lined by cells derived from the epidermal (outside) layer of the skin.</P> Each follicle normally goes through a five-year cycle of growth and rest, with about 90% of the follicles growing hair at any one time, averaging about six inches (15 cm) of growth per year.

Derived from the Latin word follis, for bag.</P> NTER><IMG height=504 alt='Skin illustration - Hair follicle' src='http://images.medicinenet.com/images/illustrations/skin.jpg' width=435 border=0></CENTER> 'The human hair follicle is a dynamic structure that generates hair through a complex and exquisitely regulated cycle of growth and remodelling governed by numerous genes,' Siobhán A.

Jordan has noted in Molecular Medicine Today.

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