Terminal hair is one of two types of body hair. They are defined as thick, rigid, and darker hairs. Terminal hairs include the hair on your head, eyelashes and eyebrows, facial hair, pubic hair, and hair on the chest and back. In men, about 90 % of the body is covered in terminal hairs, whereas in most women, 30% of the body surface is covered by it. The thinner and lighter Vellus hairs can turn into terminal hairs by high levels of androgens. This can be the case in women with PCOS who might experience the growth of excessive body hair, a condition called hirsutism.
Sources:
- Yildiz B.O. et al. Visually scoring hirsutism. Hum Reprod Update. 2010 Jan-Feb; 16(1): 51–64. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792145/
- Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). What is the structure of hair and how does it grow? What is the structure of hair and how does it grow? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546248/ (accessed 8. August 2020)
