Colonization by odor-producing bacteria is thereby transferred away from the skin (see skin flora). It may naturally wick sweat or other moisture away from the skin, aiding ventilation. The evolutionary significance of human underarm hair is still debated. Staging a patient's axillary hair will allow the physician to track the child's development longitudinally. Wolfsdorf Stage 4- full adult axillary hair.Wolfsdorf Stage 3- coarse axillary hair, less than full-adult.Wolfsdorf Stage 2- scant axillary hair (usually coinciding with onset of adrenarche).Like Tanner Staging for pubic hair, axillary hair can be staged according to the Wolfsdorf Staging system, named for pediatric endocrinologist Joseph Wolfsdorf, as follows:
This is an illustration demonstrating the Wolfsdorf Staging for axillary hair development in children.Īxillary hair goes through four stages of development, driven by weak androgens produced by the adrenal in males and females during adrenarche, and testosterone from the testicle in males during puberty.
