Many of our users have contacted us regarding a very often spoken of “bulb test” that some dermatologists offer for an additional charge, which seeks to determine whether or not the person is losing hair due to the effects of DHT. The process is very basic, and is said to comprise only of evaluating the bulb of a follicle which has fallen out on its own, to look for characteristic signs of hair miniaturization due to hormonal or auto-immune activities.
The results of this test are said to enable the patient to determine whether he or she is actually experiencing male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness or natural / stress related hair loss which will not be aesthetically detrimental in the long run. A recent study showed them to be frauds…Other similar treatments are being offered on the internet claiming to be able to identify problems with the follicle health on a NUTRIENT level. Any well informed hair loss sufferer already knows that the basis for hair loss has nothing to do with nutrients reaching the follicle, however since so many successful snake oils tout this as a major cause of hair loss, these companies have cashed in on it and offer tests to see just how well nourished your follicles are.
Well the news is out on these companies. Researchers at the department of health in Oakland, California sent hair samples from a healthy person to six of the nine laboratories in America which promote mineral analysis of hair as a way of diagnosing health problems. But findings from the sample varied considerably, and the laboratories gave conflicting dietary and nutritional supplement advice.
Some financial analysis of these companies revealed that consumers spend nearly $10 million a year on these tests.
The laboratories the samples were sent to perform 90% of the 225,000 hair mineral tests done annually in the US. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) matched those of a 15-year-old study of hair analysis laboratories. The study found that the laboratories used varying testing methods on the samples, employed various reference points for mineral content and produced completely inconsistent results.
These tests aren’t always just used to give a false sense of security, or unwarranted alarm in relation to hair loss. These companies also use the results of their tests to sometimes imply contamination in the patient’s water, other environmental hazards, and to make nutritional suggestions regarding the patients diet. It is because of this that the Dept. of Health in Oakland is exposing these services as worthless, inconsistent, and unethical.
The researchers warned: “Health care choices based on these analyses may be ineffective or even detrimental to the patient’s overall health.” They said the results of hair analysis can be skewed by hair treatments, contamination from environmental sources and inconsistent lab techniques. They recommended that doctors should not use hair analysis to evaluate patients’ exposure to environmental hazards or to assess nutritional issues. They also urged public health and consumer protection agencies to warn the public about the tests’ unreliability.
Georgia public health expert Steven Steindel, and Peter Howanitz of the State University of New York, Health Science Center agreed doctors considering ordering hair analysis should wait for evidence the test works. They said health professionals who wanted to assess nutritional status or who are basing nutritional counseling or therapy on hair analysis results should reconsider their approach “unless and until the reliability of hair analysis value is established.”
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