The Hair Follicle as a Wound Healing Promoter and its Application in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Clinicians have long reported that hair-bearing areas tend to heal more rapidly than those lacking hair follicles. In the past decade, numerous scientific studies have corroborated clinical evidence, showing a direct nexus between the human hair follicle and the wound healing process. The migration of epithelial follicular stem cells to the skin surface to help in the wound re-epithelialization or the effect of the hair cycle on the wound healing rate are mechanisms that underline the influence of the hair follicle in the healing process. In this chapter, the authors aim to review what is known in relation to the connections between hair follicles and wound healing, and elaborate on future directions that the field might take, including implications for clinical practice.