Lanugo
Lanugo
Lanugo (/ləˈnuːɡoʊ/) is a type of very fine, soft, and usually unpigmented hair that is found on the body of a fetus or newborn baby. It is the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles, and it usually starts to appear around the 16th week of gestation and is abundant by week 20. It is normally shed before birth, around the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, but is sometimes present at birth.
Etymology
The term "lanugo" comes from the Latin word lanugo, meaning "down", as in the soft feathers of a bird. This is a reference to the soft, downy quality of the hair.
Related Terms
- Fetus: The unborn offspring from the end of the 8th week after conception (when the major structures have formed) until birth.
- Hair Follicle: A part of the skin, which grows a hair by packing old cells together.
- Gestation: The period of time between conception and birth when a baby grows and develops inside the mother's womb.
See Also
- Vellus Hair: The short, fine, light-colored, and barely noticeable hair that develops on most of a person's body during childhood.
- Terminal Hair: The thick, long, and dark hair that develops on parts of the body during puberty.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Lanugo
- Wikipedia's article - Lanugo
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