Molecular insights into the hair follicle and its pathology: a review of recent developments.

In the last few years by means of the elucidation of the human genome and the acquisition of powerful investigative tools we have begun to understand the molecular basis of hair follicle growth control. In this article I will describe some of the salient recent contributions to the field and review the implications these findings have had on our understanding of mechanisms in dermatology and dermatopathology.