lanugo

Physiology

• very fine, soft, usually unpigmented, downy hair
• the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles
• usually appears on the fetus at about 5 months of gestation
• normally shed before birth, around 7-8 months of gestation
• sometimes present at birth
• will shed spontaneously by 3-4 months after birth

More general terms

• hair
• physiologic process