Definitions
Vellus hair&o=10616

Vellus hair

Vellus hair is short, fine, "peach fuzz" body hair. It is a very soft and short hair that grows in most places on the human body in both sexes, such as the face and back. It is usually less than 2 mm long and the follicles are not connected to sebaceous glands. It is most easily observed in women and children, as they have less terminal hair to obscure it. It is also found in pre-adolescents (i.e., Tanner stage I), as well as in male pattern baldness. It should not be confused with lanugo, a much thicker type of hair developed by fetuses and the bodies of anorexics in an attempt to retain bodily heat.

Search another word or see Vellus hair&o=10616on Dictionary | Thesaurus |Spanish
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT