1 Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Recently the attention of pediatricians has been directed towards the study of hair as a means of assessing the nutritional status of children.1-3
During the intrauterine life of babies, the hair begins to grow during the 8th to 12th weeks of gestation. This growth continues throughout pregnancy, although there are indications that some hair is lost during this time. At the time of birth the majority of scalp hair is five to six months old.4 Nutritional environment during the prenatal life is an important determinant of hair growth, and thus morphological characteristics of the hair at birth should reflect the status of nutrition from the 12th week of gestation till birth.