Vellus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vellus hair is short, fine, "peach fuzz" body hair. Vellus hair is a very soft and short hair that grows in most places on the human body in both sexes. It is usually less than 2mm long and the follicles are not connected to sebaceous glands. It is most easily observed in women and children, as they have less terminal hair to obscure it. Vellus hair is also found in pre-adolescents (Tanner stage 1) as well as in male pattern baldness. It should not be confused with lanugo, a much thicker type of hair developed by fetuses and the bodies of anorexics in an attempt to retain bodily heat.