Relationship between follicular nerve supply and alopecia.

The emergence of new technologies such as the combination of immunohistochemical techniques with laser scanning confocal microscopy allows one to observe and project the three-dimensional perifollicular innervation in tissue sections measuring up to 200 microns. This technology opens the door to making new discoveries about the innervation of the hair follicle. As new information is generated about the cutaneous sensory nervous system, neuropeptide expression, and the modulation of inflammatory and proliferative processes by the nervous system in the skin, it is likely this knowledge will be applied to enhance our understanding of the biology of the hair follicle in both the normal and diseased state.