Abstract: Objective To evaluate the hair growth characteristics of adult male Chinese.Methods Thirty-one voluntees were enrolled in the study.Two areas of 1.2 cm×1.2 cm each were completely shaved on the vertex and temporal scalp,respectively.Seven days later,the target sites were photographed and plucked hair samples were collected.The parameters of hair growth,including hair density,hair growth rate and hair diameter,were obtained by photographic analysis and direct measurement under a microscope,respectively.Results The average scalp hair density was 132±42/cm²,and the hair density of the vertex scalp was significantly higher than that of the temporal scalp (167±27/cm² vs 97±16/cm²,P<0.001) The mean scalp hair growth rate was 461±44μm/d,and temporal scalp hair grew significantly faster that vertex scalp hair (475±40μm/d vs 447±44μm/d,P<0.01).The mean hair diameter was 97±9μm,and no significant difference was found in the hair diameter between the two regions (96±9μm vs 98±10μm,vertex vs temporal,P>0.05).The hair at the root,middle,and tip showed no significant variation,in mean diameter (97±10μm,96±10μm,and 98±9μm,respectively;P>0.05).Conclusion The results indicate that the scalp hair density is lower,whereas the scalp hair growth rate is higher in adult male Chinese than that in adult male Caucasian and African.

Key words: Hair, Hair growth characteristics