At the heart of each active hair follicle lies the dermal papilla - the bulb in our dough model. The dermal papilla has a healthy "pear" shape in normal hair follicles. The DP consists of a highly active group of cells responsible for the production of hair fibre.
Growth by Division
At this point we need to
digress and review a few basic biology concepts. The human
body is made up of cells. Cells are the building
blocks we are made up.
The body grows when an individual cells divides into two identical new cells. All the cells in the body can trace their origin back to the single ovum cell in the mother. But different cells take on different characteristics to better suit them to their specific tasks. This is called 'differentiation'.
Keep this principle in mind as we continue our study of the hair follicle.