Follicles are tiny, stocking-like cavities in the skin from which human hair sprouts. Once hairs are produced, they are pushed up through the follicle opening toward the surface of the skin. At the base of the follicle is the root, which is the only living portion of the hair. A man's beard typically contains between 7,000 and 15,000 hair follicles, a number that is genetically determined. Try as you may, no new follicles are formed after birth. Did you know that shaving does not make your hair grow back thicker or faster. It does, however, alter the shape of re-grown hair, which may make it feel different as it grows back. But if hair is left to re-grow completely, it will return to its former state.