Life Dmitry Kalinovsky/Fotolia Let's be real for a minute — what's cooler than an ultrasound? Nothing. I looked forward to each and every one of mine with the enthusiasm of a kid headed to Disneyland. One day, my OB pointed out a fuzzy shadow, and said my baby had a full head of hair. While I dutifully reported this to my family, it really didn't look like hair to me, and sonography is echolocation — what bats and dolphins use to get around — not the camera of your iPhone 6. So can you actually see hair on the ultrasound, or was my OB just trying to make me feel better about the fuzzy blob on the screen? Yes, an ultrasound paints your baby's picture in sound waves, but as it turns out, these machines are excellent these days (by week 32, you can see your baby's toenails, and by 39, eyelashes). According to Parents, ultrasounds are so sensitive that they absolutely show baby hair, waving gently in an amniotic bath, often early in the third trimester. One caveat: you're not exactly seeing the hair your baby will be born with, but a sort of pre-hair called lanugo, which keeps your baby warm while they develop some insulating body fat. Today's Parent reported that babies usually lose their lanugo between weeks 32 and 36, and that premature babies might be born with their protective fur. In premature babies, lanugo eventually falls out and is replaced by vellus, the "peach fuzz" that grows on hairless areas of the body (feel your earlobe and see for yourself). If you do see hair in a late ultrasound, it will probably look like white strands on the scalp, or a fuzzy white halo. Speaking of hair, you know that old wives' tale about pregnancy heartburn meaning hair? Turns out, it's true. I'm not even joking — Johns Hopkins studied it, and tastefully admitted their own surprise. Even after your baby's birthday, you should know that you're probably not styling the final product with those pink barrettes. Terminal hair will grow in when your child's 2, and a lot changes from birth 'til then: color, texture, and thickness continue to evolve years after your baby's last in-utero photo shoot.  Prenatal ultrasounds are exciting moments for any expectant parent. It’s nothing short of magical to see your baby’s fingers, toes, and chubby cheeks in utero. But if you’ve never had an ultrasound before, you’re probably wondering whether you’ll be able to see your baby’s luscious locks. If you do see hair on an ultrasound, what does that mean? Will your baby be born with a head full of hair? In this article, we will dive into how your baby’s hair on an ultrasound will compare to their hair after birth. Table of Contents
There are several different ultrasound types available to give expectant parents a sneak peek at their growing baby. In this section, we’ll take a look at each of them and determine whether they can show your baby’s hair. 2D Ultrasound2D ultrasounds1 are the standard for checking the growth and health of a developing baby. They emit soundwaves, which bounce off of various structures within the body. The reflected waves are then transformed into a 2-dimensional picture of your baby. 2D ultrasounds are the only ultrasounds that are able to pick up individual strands of hair. Your baby’s hair will show up as thin white lines that look like a fuzzy halo on the top of the head. While you might have a hard time seeing it, a medically trained professional will be able to point it out for you! 3D Ultrasound3D ultrasounds2 use soundwaves to create an image of your baby. Multiple pictures are taken at different angles and fit together to create a more realistic, three-dimensional view of your baby. 3D ultrasounds can give you a clearer image of your baby’s features than 2D ultrasounds can. While they can give you a clearer look at your baby, 3D ultrasounds don’t clearly show strands of hair. However, they may show contours on the head that are an indication of hair. 4D ultrasound4D ultrasounds3 use soundwaves to produce a live video feed. While many parents rejoice at being able to see their baby smile in real-time, 3D and 4D ultrasounds are considered elective and not medically necessary. Your insurance might not cover them, and your doctor may steer you away from getting them for nonmedical reasons. Like 3D ultrasounds, 4D ultrasounds don’t show individual strands of hair. Instead, they may or may not show the contour of your baby’s hair. You’re more likely to see hair towards the end of your pregnancy than at the start or middle. What Does Seeing Hair on An Ultrasound Mean?Seeing hair on an ultrasound doesn’t necessarily mean your baby will be born with a head full of hair. What you’re seeing might be a temporary type of hair called lanugo. Lanugo is a soft, unpigmented downy hair found on fetal and newborn babies. It protects your baby from skin damage, encourages growth, and helps anchor a helpful biofilm called vernix. Lanugo grows all over your baby’s body, but it is thickest around the shoulders, ears, forehead, and back. It can easily be mistaken for scalp hair on an ultrasound, especially if your baby is at an angle that makes it difficult to get a clear view. On the other hand, not seeing hair on an ultrasound doesn’t necessarily mean your baby won’t be born with any. Due to the amniotic fluid, your baby’s hair is wet. This can skew the image you see on your ultrasound because the hair may be slicked down against his or her scalp. While ultrasounds might hint at whether or not your baby will be born with hair, you won’t know for sure until the delivery. Additionally, the sound waves emitted by ultrasounds have to travel through amniotic fluid, fat, and skin on their way to your babe. This can cloud your final image and make any hair growing on your baby’s head difficult to see. If you want to get as crystal clear of an image as possible, you should:
Do Babies Lose Hair in Utero?Hair follicles begin to develop around the 14th week of pregnancy. The follicles created during this time will remain there for life, and no new follicles will form. By the 15th week, your baby’s hair pattern starts to develop as the hair pushes through the scalp. Around this time, the fuzzy halo of hair will be visible on ultrasounds. As gestation continues, the initial crop of hair will shed and regrow. This will happen two or three times before birth. As we mentioned before, lanugo is a temporary type of hair that developing babies grow. Lanugo typically falls out in the third trimester, shortly before birth. After lanugo is shed, it decomposes in amniotic fluid and is replaced by vellus. Vellus hair, also known as peach fuzz, is the short, fine hair covering most of our bodies. Occasionally, usually with pre-term births, the baby will be born with lanugo still covering parts of their body. When it comes to your baby’s hair, most changes come after birth. The hair that a baby is born with generally sheds within the first six months after birth. The hair that grows in afterward, called terminal hair, is often a different color, thickness, and texture than the hair the baby was born with. What Determines Whether Your Baby Will Be Born with Hair?Every baby is unique, so it’s hard to predict how much hair your baby will have when they’re born. Even premature babies can be born with a full head of hair. Experts aren’t entirely sure why only some babies are born with a full head of hair, but genetics and hormones are thought to play a significant role. If babies tend to be born bald in your family, there’s a good chance your baby will too. Newborns with lighter skin often have less hair at birth than newborns with darker complexions. While the exact reason behind this isn’t known, it’s another example of how genetics influence the amount of hair a baby is born with. Interestingly, an old wives’ tale might be just what you need to determine if your baby will be born with hair. Recent studies have shown that expecting mothers who reported having significant heartburn have a much greater chance of delivering a baby with hair. Conversely, pregnant women who didn’t have heartburn during pregnancy mostly gave birth to bald babies. Related Articles
Although it’s often thought to be old-fashioned, the classic 2D ultrasound may show you the clearest image of your baby’s hair. Whether your baby is born with a thick head of hair or none at all, you can rest assured knowing it will grow in eventually. We hope this article has helped explain how ultrasounds show developing hair and how that image compares to the hair your baby will be born with. Kenneth Byrd holds a BS in Accounting and Management Information Systems and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a serial hair blogger that has been writing about hair care since 2008, when he co-founded Curl Centric and Natural Hair Box. Curl Centric is a website operated by a husband and wife team that encourages healthy hair care. Can you always see hair on ultrasound?Depends. Many parents wonder if they will be able to see the baby's hair during their ultrasound. Unfortunately 3D/4D ultrasound technology cannot see any hair on the baby, however standard 2d (black and white) ultrasound can usually pick up strands of hair!
What does hair look like in an ultrasound?If you do see hair in a late ultrasound, it will probably look like white strands on the scalp, or a fuzzy white halo.
When can you see hair on a baby ultrasound?28 Week Ultrasound
What You're Seeing: Your baby-to-be's hair is seen waving in the amniotic fluid. This hair is called lanugo.
How do you know if your baby has hair in the womb?Hair follicles start to form during week 14 of pregnancy, and by the 15th week, a hair pattern begins to appear on baby's scalp as the hair pushes up through the skin. “If you looked at an ultrasound, you might see a little halo around the head, which is fuzz on the scalp,” McCarthy-Keith says.
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Can you see hair on ultrasound
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