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Lanugo is fine, soft, unpigmented hair often present in fetuses, newborns, and certain disease states. While lanugo is a normal finding in fetuses, its presence in an older person might indicate underlying pathology. Many different cell types and molecular mechanisms contribute to the development of lanugo, and it is an important tissue type necessary to ensure normal fetal development.
In disease states such as malnutrition and anorexia nervosa, where thermoregulation becomes disrupted, lanugo grows to help insulate the body. This growth is a natural response to an unnatural insult. Molecular signals from the dermal papilla are released following the detection of temperature dysregulation and cause a series of signaling events (primarily via SMO, PTCH, and other Shh components), leading to the formation of lanugo hair.