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In humans,terminal hair is a variant of hair that is thick and long such as that growing on the scalp, as compared withvellus hair, colloquially known as peach fuzz, growing elsewhere.[1][2] Duringpuberty, the increase in androgenic hormone levels causes vellus hair to be replaced with terminal hair in certain parts of the human body.[3] These parts will have different levels of sensitivity to androgens, primarily of the testosterone family.[4]
Thepubic area is particularly sensitive to such hormones, as are the armpits which will developaxillary hair.[5] Pubic and axillary hair will develop on both men and women, to the extent that such hair qualifies as asecondary sex characteristic,[6] although males will generally develop terminal hair in more areas. This includesfacial hair,chest hair,abdominal hair,leg andarm hair, andfoot hair.[7] Human females on the other hand generally retain more of the vellus hair.[8]
These hairs are present in the large apes but not in the small apes like gibbons and represent an evolutionary divergence.[9]: 193 [better source needed]