Final answer:
The area above the parietal/crest in haircutting is referred to as the Apex, which is the highest point of the head, not to be confused with the Whorl, Fringe, or Crown. The hair shaft, important in the context of haircutting, is made up of three zones: the cuticle, cortex, and medulla.
Step-by-step explanation:
In haircutting, the area above the parietal/crest is referred to as the Apex. This term is used to describe the highest point of the head. For comparison, the Whorl refers to the circular pattern of hair growth that can occur on the crown, but is not synonymous with the apex. The Fringe typically refers to the hair that hangs over the forehead, sometimes also known as bangs, and the Crown is the area of the head where the hair growth patterns can converge or radiate from.
The hair shaft itself, relevant to cutting and styling, is the part of a hair that is visible above the surface of the skin and consists of dead keratinocytes. A hair shaft has three zones: the outermost zone called the cuticle; the middle zone called the cortex, and the innermost zone called the medulla. These distinctions in the anatomy of a hair shaft are essential for professionals in understanding how haircuts and hairstyles will interact with the natural texture and growth patterns of the hair.