Forensics Hair

Morphology

Form and structure.

5 Million

Average number of hairs on the human body.

Polymer

A molecule consisting of many identical repeating units.

Hair Follicle

Tube-like organ in the subcutaneous layer of skin that grows hair.

Cuticle

Outside covering of the hair shaft. It's made of overlapping scales.

Human

A fine, regular pattern of scales indicates that the sample is ___ hair.

Cortex

Middle layer of the hair shaft. It is made of keratin and embedded with pigment granules.

Cortical Fusi

Little sacs of air contained within the cortex.

Medulla

Inside layer of the hair shaft running down the center of the cortex.

Anagen Phase

Period of hair growth that lasts up to five years.

Catagen Phase

Intermediate stage of hair growth. Lasts about three weeks. Hair is not growing during this stage.

Telogen Phase

Final phase of hair growth, when the follicle is ready to push out the mature hair.

Metabolites

A specific product of a substance, formed by chemical processes in the body.

Growth Rate of Hair

1cm Per Month

Melanin

Pigment granules that give hair its color.