Age-related changes in the hair follicle and hair shaft in women in the parietal region

Introduction. Medical trichology is a promising and modern direction of cosmetology, engaged in the study of the scalp and hair, both in the state of health and various diseases. However, with all the variety of various scientific publications, there are very few works devoted to the study of morphological changes in normal physiological aging of a person. Aim. To reveal the dynamics of morphological changes in the hair bulb and hair shaft in women in the parietal region to elderly age. Materials and methods. The work is based on the results of microscopic examination of 80 women, the study sample consisted of conditionally healthy individuals. The examined women were divided into three groups depending on their age. The first group included 27 women of the first period of mature age (26.9 ± 0.70 years). The second group consisted of 30 women of the second period of mature age (47.1 ± 1.20 years). The third group was formed by 23 women of old age (62.1 ± 1.09 years). Hair sampling was performed in the parietal region of the head by combing out the hair that had already fallen out (without pulling it out of the skin!). The width of the hair bulb and hair shaft were measured. The percentage of bulbs containing an internal root sheath to the total number of bulbs was calculated. Results and discussion. With age, a decrease in the number of hair follicles with internal root sheath (p < 0.01) along with a tendency to decrease the width of the hair follicle and hair shaft (p > 0.05) was noted in women in the parietal region. Conclusions. The results of this study add to the information available in the scientific literature about age-related changes occurring in the hair bulb and hair shaft in women by old age. The data obtained will be useful for trichologists in medical practice to create clinical recommendations for the early prevention of age-related alopecia areata.