Which structure is at the base of the hair follicle and contains living cells that will form the hair strand?

Which structure is at the base of the hair follicle and contains living cells that will form the hair strand?

• A. Stratum corneum
• B. Stratum lucidum
• C. Nervous system
• D. Hair bulb

Answer: (D)

The base of the hair follicle is where hair formation begins. In the hair bulb lies the hair matrix, a group of living cells that divide and differentiate to build the hair strand. As these cells proliferate, they keratinize and move upward to become the hair shaft, with the nearby dermal papilla providing nutrients and growth signals. The other options aren’t involved in producing the hair at the follicle base—the epidermal layers are outer skin structures made of nonliving or less active cells, and the nervous system is a separate tissue. So the hair bulb is the site that contains the living cells that form the hair strand.

The base of the hair follicle is where hair formation begins. In the hair bulb lies the hair matrix, a group of living cells that divide and differentiate to build the hair strand. As these cells proliferate, they keratinize and move upward to become the hair shaft, with the nearby dermal papilla providing nutrients and growth signals. The other options aren’t involved in producing the hair at the follicle base—the epidermal layers are outer skin structures made of nonliving or less active cells, and the nervous system is a separate tissue. So the hair bulb is the site that contains the living cells that form the hair strand.