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When newborn, some babies sometimes have fine hairs on their body parts. The condition of the baby's body filled with fine hairs is commonly referred to as lanugo.
This often makes parents panic about the condition of their newborn baby's body. Is the excess hair on the baby's body normal and can it disappear? Come on, see the full explanation below so you don't worry anymore.
What is lanugo?
Lanugo is a type of fine hair that grows on the body of the fetus while still in the womb. This hair or fine hair can generally disappear along with the baby's development. However, in some cases there are also those who can experience it to adulthood.
This non-pigmented (colored) Lanugo grows since the baby is in the womb, especially after passing the age of a four-month fetus. Towards birth, some of the fine hair called vellus will fall and be replaced with fine hair as in children and adults in general.
Experts actually do not fully understand what the role of feathers that appear while still in the fetus. However, scientists confirmed that Lanugo's hair was related to a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. The point is to cover the body of the fetus.
Then, as reported in a study from the Department of Hospital Pediatrics, St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Academy in Russia, This combination of Lanugo and Vernix hair is likely to play a role in the production of different hormones in the fetus.
Can lanugo in infants be cured?
Basically the presence of fine hairs on the baby itself is not a medical condition, but can be said to be a natural biological response to certain health conditions and life stages. So, it's not something that requires immediate care. In infants, Lanugo is common and does not cause other negative effects. Babies will lose hair naturally for several days or weeks after birth.
Lanugo in adults
If fine hairs still grow on some parts of the body in adults, it can be marked as one of the serious health conditions. Because in general, lanugo in adults is fairly rare. When it occurs, almost a few cases are always caused by an advanced stage eating disorder, one of which is anorexia nervosa.
There is also some evidence that lanugo can appear as a side effect of other health conditions, includingcertain types of cancerand Celiac disease. Research on the relationship is still small and not valid, but does not rule out the possibility that some serious diseases trigger the appearance of fine hairs all over the body
While the appearance of fine hairs in adults will naturally disappear on their own if the conditions that trigger them disappear or disappear. For people who experience anorexia, the hair will disappear when they recover through better nutrition.
Lanugo in adults is also predicted not as a form of vellus hair as in infants. But it can be recognized as new and fine hair that grows in greater numbers in unexpected areas of the body. Fur growth in adults can be considered as an effort by the body to warm itself when responding to conditions that have a negative effect on body temperature.
