For a long time, hair follicle development could be studied on the morpholo
gical level only. Now that molecular genetics is coming of age,we are begin
ning to understand-the molecular basis of hair follicle :development. The s
tudy of inherited hair disorders and basic research have both contributed t
o our insights and exciting developments can be expected in the near future
. Here, we present a compact overview of the essential players in hair deve
lopment and propose a simple model of the genetic interactions in the hair
follicle.