Alopecia (loss of hair from head or body) is fairly common problem. Alopecia is more common among males than females. There are several different types of alopecia, for example alopecia areata (loss of hairs from patches), alopecia totalis (complete baldness of head), alopecia universalis (loss of all body hairs), and androgenic alopecia (male pattern of hair loss) etc. Alopecia occurring females is usually more troubling (more psychological trouble than physical trouble) to the sufferer than alopecia or hair loss occurring in males. Hair loss in females should be evaluated appropriately.
Clinical evaluation should be done to determine the cause (as there are various causes of alopecia) of alopecia and some tests can be done to find out the cause. Male pattern of baldness and female pattern of hair loss usually do not need testing as both are not associated with increased hair loss.
The Hair Pull Test for alopecia:
In the pull test, a gentle traction is applied on a group of hairs (approximately 40-60 hairs) from proximal to distal end, in three different areas of scalp. The grasp is made with help of thumb, index finger and middle finger. The pull test is done for evaluation scalp hair loss. Normally less than three hairs come out with each pull from each area and if more than 10 hairs come out with every pull or approximately 10% of pulled hairs come out, the pull test is considered positive. The hairs which come out in pull test are than examined under microscope. The person should not shampoo or wash hairs for 24-48 hours prior to the test for accurate result.
Advantages of the Hair Pull Test in diagnosis of alopecia:
The pull test is helpful (positive) for diagnosis of telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium, and alopecia areata. The test is positive in whole scalp in case of acute telogen effluvium. Sometimes the number of hairs pulled may not be positive for the pull test, but may still be significant, for example only a few anagen hairs which comes out in the test, may indicate cicatricial alopecia if root sheaths are thickened.
Disadvantages or limitations of Hair Pull Test:
The biggest disadvantage of the hair pull test in diagnosis of alopecia is non consistent nature of the test in different individuals. It is very difficult to standardize the test as the inter-individual variation among investigators may be so wide, e.g. the amount of force applied may vary from person to person while testing, the pulling force applied may not be evenly distributed in the bundle of hairs etc. The exact number of hairs grasped may not be same every time. Another great disadvantage or limitation of the pull tests is that, a negative result does not rule out diagnosis of alopecia.
This is a guest post by Jupitor Chakma, who writes in his Health Blog regularly about important health topics. Visit his health blogs for regular updates on health matters.
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Twitter: johnmacken22
says:
Can Alopecia be treated effectively it almost seems fashionable not to have hair these days
Twitter: lifenleisure
says:
From what I know, it can be treated. My brother gets one injection for it and it’s fine. He usually gets it when he’s way too stressed with work.
Adeline recently posted..Everything about Wine Glasses
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Unfortunately, alopecia can not be treated satisfactorily. The medications has to be used continuously, because on stopping the problem recurs again.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Some Tests For Diagnosis Of Alopecia
This test varies to the person. I think it would be much advisable to check it on your local dermatologist. They are expert on this.
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Of course experts opinion is always the best and in this case a dermatologist.
Hair pull test is only for preliminary knowledge.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Do You Suffer From Bad Breath? Do Not Ignore
Yeah you are right. It really is like a last resort to get to your derma. I do agree on preliminary test and if you are somewhat confused then it is right time to check it on your local derma. Thanks Jupitor
Twitter: lifenleisure
says:
Another limitation of the hair pull test to check Alopecia is the length of the hair. My brother is suffering from Alopecia and since he has got spiked hair, it’s quite hard for him to test it out.
Adeline recently posted..Winning Moments of Mabuhay Germany 2011
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Yes length of hairs can be a limitation of Hair pull test for diagnosis of alopecia. if you have long hairs you may pull more hairs than a person with sort hairs, although both of you may have similar problems.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Infected Hair Follicle Symptoms and Causes
Twitter: Didiverse
says:
I heard about this from my hubby now I’m scared coz I’m losing too much hair everyday. I hope not.
Didi recently posted..Tan’s Guesthouse Boracay
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
You can visit your nearest skin doctor, if you have doubt.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Breast Cancer Awareness: The Non-modifiable Risk Factors
How true was it that alopecia is inherited from the mother side of the genes.. So if you see your mother’s side going receding hairlines you should be investing more on hair growers.. I can never discount this if this was a myth cause i was really affected by this one.. nice post reminds me of my hair days in highschool Jupitor Chakma…
Timothy Smith recently posted..DoUpTo- The Fastest Way to Make Money Using Your Talent updated Tue Jul 26 2011 1:56 am CDT
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Thanks for liking my post, this will encourage me to write more such useful articles.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Few Important Aspects about Rota Virus
It’s nice to hear about the possibilities of curing alopecia.. I’d like to try those treatments myself..
jorge recently posted..Traveling for a triathlon: The Basics
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
But the possibility of permanent cure of alopecia is not near. At present at most it is symptomatic management and when you withdraw medication, alopecia returns.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Know Few Aspects About Migraine
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Just tried this myself and thankfully only two hairs came out, phew! It’s a worrying thought though, losing a good full head of hair.
I think if anyone has concerns over hair loss, then they should contact their local GP as soon as they can
Karen recently posted..BlackBerry Down Again And The Complaints Hit Twitter!
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
If you pulled only two hairs you definitely do not suffer from alopecia. But if yo have any doubt it is best to consult a dermatologist nearby.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Some Tests For Diagnosis Of Alopecia
Twitter: CPASiteSolution
says:
Another disadvantage of the hair pull test… you pull your own hair out! But in all seriousness, I was drawn to this article because my co-worker complains about her hair loss quite often. It doesn’t fall out in clumps or chunks, but she says when she brushes it in the morning she’ll loose at least 30-40 hairs. More so than she feels is normal, at least. Her doctor said it could just be that her hair is thinning, even though she’s in her late 20s. After reading this article, I’d say she can rule out Alopecia because the symptoms don’t match. Thanks for the tips!
Brian recently posted..Site Manager File Upload Feature
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
30-40 hairs loss a day is normal. The normal hair loss per day is up to 100. So nothing to worry if somebody losses 30-40 hairs a day.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Treatment, Prognosis and Prevention of Rotavirus Diarrhea
Twitter: CPASiteSolution
says:
Great facts. I’ve been a cosmetologist for a few years and have seen many people with this issue. Most people don’t know that they have it until they read about it or have a stylist tell them. Good facts here!
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Yes, hair loss is a common problem with unsatisfactory treatment options. As long as you use medications it is okay. But on stopping medications hair fall returns.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Do You Suffer From Bad Breath? Do Not Ignore
Today, with increasing beauty consciousness everywhere, people are looking to be more attractive and are finding ways to fight aging. Hairfall is major concern for men and women and applying clip on hair extensions has become very popular. However, using these hair extensions continuously for a long time is causing traction alopecia in many people.
Hair pull test is a good one for people to check the intensity of this traction alopecia. And what is the best way to prevent traction alopecia?
Hendrik recently posted..Selbst Hamster finden Linkbuilding toll…
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
I think best way to prevent traction alopecia is to remove the cause. Next best would be to use different type of clips, if your traction alopecia due to clips.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Some Tests For Diagnosis Of Alopecia
hair fall truly is a major concern, nobody wants to be bald.. basically the choice is to recover from it or accept it and just buy a razor to clear all of it out.
joe recently posted..Muscle Massage Tools updated Tue Sep 20 2011 11:00 am CDT
Has anyone tried the injection treatment called corticosteroids? They apparently inject it into your scalp and this should cure the hair loss.
thanks for sharing your idea herbs, basically i was just reading to the comment to see if there was anything significant about hair loss cure too.. nice suggestion.
terry recently posted..Tactics and Fencing’s Tactical Wheel
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
Steroid injection may be highly effective for treatment of alopecia, but it works only as long as you use and they have serious side effects on long term use. Should be avoided.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Some Tests For Diagnosis Of Alopecia
I have no problem losing hair on the body, but I am losing a lot of my hair on the top of my head, and I think it’s the water, a simple test shows that our water have a lot of chemicals they use to clean the water that is also have a bad effect on the hair
Twitter: Healthyone_org
says:
I am not sure about the chemicals used for water purification are harmful to hairs. Commonly alum, ozone etc. are used for water purification and I dont think they are harmful to hair health (but not sure). It seems you have male pattern of hair loss.
Jupitor Chakma recently posted..Signs of Mouth Cancer to Watch Out For
It is really a must to know whether you have a hair problem. I am very much happy to know that you have given us some insightful tips.
Reine recently posted..what is alopecia
The test is a good idea, it’s definitely worth researching hair loss yourself before seeing a specalist.
Suz recently posted..Gail Porter’s Hair Loss