Does thinning hair mean hair follicle shrinkage?

Everyone's hair quality is different. Some people's hair is thick, some is thin, and the thickness of the hair has a lot to do with the hair follicle tissue of the human body. Some people find that their hair is slowly getting thinner, but they don't know why. If your hair continues to become thinner, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up. So, does thinning hair mean that hair follicles are shrinking?

Hair follicles are small, but their organization is quite complex. Simply put, hair follicles are sac-like tissue surrounding the roots of hair, and are skin organs used to grow hair. When the root of the hair is in the dermal papillary layer, it is surrounded by inner and outer hair sheaths. The outer hair sheath is surrounded by connective tissue cells to form a pocket shape. The inner layer is epithelial tissue follicles, and the outer layer is connective tissue follicles. The inner layer is connected to the epidermis, and the outer layer is connected to the dermis.

Generally, hair transplant hospitals are equipped with professional hair follicle detection equipment. The principle of these devices is to use electronic microscope magnification equipment and special hair follicle detection and analysis software to take pictures of the magnified scalp, calculate various hair parameters based on the microscopic imaging obtained by the computer, and finally generate a test report.

Hair follicle testing can clearly observe the growth environment of the scalp and the health of the hair follicles, and the test report can also provide a reference for our doctors when making diagnoses. In addition, hair follicle testing is a necessary part of hair transplant surgery, because hair follicle testing can detect how many hair follicle units need to be transplanted. After knowing the number of hair follicle units that need to be transplanted, the specific cost of the hair transplant surgery can be determined.

Observe the hair falling:

One of the characteristics of hair follicle atrophy is that the hair begins to become thin and soft. Compare the fallen hair with the hair on the back of the head that is not affected by DHT. If you can obviously see that the hair has become thin and soft, then the hair follicles where this part of the hair is located have begun to atrophy.

Observe the scalp condition:

If hair loss occurs for more than three years, the hair in the hair loss area is sparse and the scalp is visible, or the scalp is smooth and no hair can be seen with the naked eye. In this case, the hair follicles have atrophied or even closed.