Which statement about hair follicles is true?

• A. Hair follicles are only on the scalp
• B. Women have more follicles than men
• C. Follicles are equally distributed
• D. Males have more follicles than women

Answer: (D)

Hair follicles are not limited to the scalp; they’re distributed throughout most of the skin, with different body regions having different densities. Hormonal influences, especially androgens, drive the development and growth of terminal hair, and this tends to increase the amount of hair follicles that actively produce hair in males. Because of this hormonal effect, males generally have a higher overall follicle count contributing to hair growth than females. The other statements fail because follicles aren’t confined to the scalp, women don’t have more follicles overall, and density isn’t equally distributed across the body.