• Question: Why Do I have so much leg hair??? :)

    Asked by sharman2k10 to Ben, Heather, Louisa on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Ben Still

      Ben Still answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      To keep you warm, and cool. Hair is there to insulate you against your environment, by trapping a layer of air. When you are cold, your hair stands on end as you get goose bumps. This increases the amount of air which gets trapped by the hairs on your leg. The trapped air gets warmed by the body and forms a protective layer against the cold. This is a reason why windy weather can seem colder than it is, because the protective layer of trapped air is constantly being replaced by new cold air.

      Hair can also be protection against the Sun, dark hair protects the skin from high intensity Sun. This is the reason people of Mediterranean descent have darker hair than northern Europeans on their legs, and elsewhere.

    • Photo: Heather McKee

      Heather McKee answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      People have larger amounts of hair for many reasons(diet, genetics, environment) however the main reason is decencendency or genetics.

      Humans have about 5 million hair follicles on our bodies, and 20% of that amount is in our scalps. However, the exact amount and growth rate are genetically predetermined while we were still developing inside the womb.

      During all 3 of three stages of the life cycle, it’s the Androgen that determines the growth rate and changes the body hair from the vellus (the baby-fine hairs on “hairless” body parts) to terminal hair (the longer, dense and pigmented hairs).
      In areas of extreme cold people tend to have longer thicker corser hair to protect them from frostbite, the hairs found on the head and other parts such as the legs of the body serve as primary sources of heat and insulation.When the body is too cold, the erector pili muscles found attached to hair follicles stand up, causing the hair in these follicles to do the same. These hairs thus form a heat-trapping layer above the epidermis. This is called piloerection, which is a Latin word where ‘Pilo’ means hair and ‘erect’ means to stiffen. This process is more commonly known as having goosebumps. The opposite happens when the body is too warm. The erector muscles make the hair lay flat on the skin which allows heat to leave

      In summary it could just be due to your genetics however I wouldnt worry about it, in some cultures the more body hair you have is thought to represent your strenght as a person!!!

    • Photo: Louisa Chard

      Louisa Chard answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Leg hair is known as a vestigial trait in humans. That means that it once had a purpose in our ancestors and does in related species (usually to keep them warm), but doesn’t anymore. Eventually we won’t have it anymore, can’t wait for that day (although I’ll be long gone). Why you’ve got lots whereas someone else doesn’t is really down to genes and where your ancestors were from. Those with very very distant ancestors from colder climates probably have a bit more as their ancestors didn’t loose their hair as fast as those from warmer climates. Blame the parents – I do!

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