Although humans look less hairy than monkeys, we actually have almost as much hair on our bodies as they do. There are 60 hairs for every square centimeter of our skin. Many of them are barely noticeable soft hair, which is called vellus.
On the human body, hair does not grow only in some areas of the skin: on the lips, palms and feet. It is believed that masturbation causes hair growth on the palms, but in fact this myth has no scientific basis.
Vegetation on the palms can cause an extremely rare genetic disorder. However, this is so unusual that only a few such cases have been recorded in history.
Can masturbation cause hair to grow on the palms?
Despite rumors that everyone has probably heard, masturbation does not lead to hair growth on the palms. This is just one of many old fake masturbation tales. Where this myth came to us is not known for certain, but it probably originated in the Middle Ages as a way to wean people from masturbation.
Despite many myths about masturbation, there are no physical side effects from it.
Here are a few more legends about masturbation:
- Causes blindness
- Causes hair loss
- Causes a decrease in the penis
- Causes infertility
- Can lead to the fact that the sperm runs out
- Eternal damnation
What in reality can hair grow on the palms?
It is impossible for the vast majority of people to grow hair on the palms or soles of their feet on their own. There are only a few rare situations where this can happen.
A 1976 article published in the Archives of Dermatology describes a man with hair on one of his palms. When he was still a child, he severely injured his right arm. He lost his little finger and part of the skin on his palm. The surgeon used skin from the lower abdomen as a graft for the injury. As the boy grew older, hair grew on the skin graft.
Hair growth can also cause a rare condition called limited palmar dysembryoplasia . It is an inherited disorder caused by a dominant gene. However, this ailment is so rare that only a few such cases have been reported in the medical literature.
In a 1975 study, scientists described one such case. Four generations of the French-Canadian family had small patches of hair follicle near the wrists. According to the researchers, there was only one such scientifically documented incident before.
A 1973 study described a French family that had hair growing on both hands for four generations. The family members included a man, his mother, his maternal grandfather and one of his daughters.
Why do most people have no palm hair?
Hair grows from hair follicles (bulbs) located under the skin’s surface. These follicles originate in a deep layer of skin called the dermis, or even deeper subcutaneous tissue. Hair can only grow where there are hair follicles. They are found on almost all areas of the skin, except for the feet, palms and lips.
A 2018 animal study found that hairless patches of skin in mice produced an inhibitor called Dickkopf 2 (Dkk2). Dkk2 inhibits a signaling protein called Wnt, which is essential for the development of hair follicles.
More research is needed to understand how this works in humans.
Final Outcome
For the vast majority of people, it is impossible to grow hair on the palms. They grow from hair follicles. We don’t have them on our palms, except for an extremely rare genetic disorder called limited palm dysembryoplasia.
Despite popular myth, masturbation does not lead to hair growth on the palms. There are no other physical side effects from masturbation either.
