Hair Follicles

The Hair follicle is a skin organ that makes hair. Attached to the follicle is a sebaceous gland. This is a tiny sebum-producing gland found everywhere except on the palms, lips and soles of the feet. The thicker the density of the hair, the more the number of sebaceous glands that are found.

Also involved to the follicle is a tiny bundle of muscle fiber called the arrector pili. This muscle is responsible for causing the follicle lissis to become more perpendicular to the surface of the skin, and causing the follicle to start slightly above the surrounding skin (piloerection) and a pore encased w/ skin oil. This process results in goose bumps (or goose flesh). Stem cells are located at the junction of the erector and the follicle, and are primarily responsible for the ongoing hair production during a process known as the Anagen stage.