Why Does Leg Hair Only Grow So Long?
Genetic factors control the length of androgenic hair, or body hair, including that of the leg. Individual hair follicles across the body receive inherited instructions that tell the hair follicle how long to grow, when to stop growing and when to fall out. Does this Spark an idea?
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Growth phases
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Each hair follicle on your leg goes through a phase of active growth, followed by a resting period, after which the hair falls out and the cycle begins again.The presence of hairs at various stages in this cycle can shorten the average appearance of hair from the maximum potential length of an individual hair.
Genetic factors
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Genetic factors control the length of leg hair for each person. Complex interactions between multiple genes control the hair cycle, starting and stopping growth in hair follicles when hairs have reached a predetermined length.
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Hormones
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Androgen, commonly referred to as male hormones, are present in both males and females. Androgen levels in the body contribute to the length of the growth phase of a hair.
Follicle sensitivity
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Each individual hair follicle will have different sensitivity levels to the hormones that control hair growth.
External effects
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Certain medications and medical treatments such as chemotherapy can affect hair growth on the leg and body.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Hoggarazzi Photography
