What is Hair Microscopy?
Hair microscopy is the careful examination of hair strands under a microscope using polarized light. The hair strands and follicles are analyzed to determine the stage and health of the strands, whether you are experiencing loss of hair density, thinning hair and, if so, how much. Microscopy is the best way to take the guesswork out of hair loss and quantify what is going on with your hair.
How Does It Work?
Hair microscopy is a simple, pain-free process that provides invaluable information.
Step 1: Harvesting a Sample
A few hair strands are painlessly extracted from an inconspicuous location on your head—no need to worry. Neither you nor anyone else will notice their absence.
Step 2: Place Sample on a Slide
The hair sample is carefully placed on a microscope slide for further analysis.
Step 3: Sample Examination
Using a polarized light microscope, we can analyze hair growth and loss. Color refraction provides information about the hair strands and follicles that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The information obtained aids in choosing the best treatment for hair loss.
What Can We Learn from Hair Microscopy?
Hair microscopy provides a great deal of information about the health of your hair, hair growth, and whether you are experiencing significant hair loss. Information we learn through microscopy includes:
- Growth phase
There are three phases of hair growth (anagen, catagen, and telogen). Through microscopy, we can identify which growth stage your hair is presently in, the percentage of miniaturized and pre-miniaturized hair and whether these percentages are within the target range for your age. - Loss of keratin
Based on the color refracted under the microscope, we can tell if your hair is losing keratin. Keratin is one of the most crucial proteins for healthy hair growth. A lack of it indicates an issue with hair growth. - Hair thickness
We can determine the thickness or caliber of your hair. It may be a situation where you aren’t experiencing hair loss, but hair growth is not ideal. Each strand of hair may be finer and thinner than before, indicating a hair growth problem. - Treatment progress
Hair microscopy can quantify how well a treatment is or isn’t working. - Benchmark
Undergoing hair microscopy before you experience hair loss provides a benchmark of what a healthy head of hair looks like for you, making it easier to identify hair loss down the road.
Benefits of Hair Microscopy
Hair microscopy offers many benefits, including:
- This procedure shows mass loss. Maybe your follicles are growing finer strands. We can quantify it and look for solutions to help the hair follicles healthier and stronger.
- Hair microscopy shows certain stressors, such as if the hair is losing keratin from overprocessing or damage to the hair from heat products. We can then offer solutions to reduce or eliminate the stressors.
- When you begin hair loss treatment, with microscopy we utilize a mathematical formula. As your treatment progresses, know how well the course of treatment is working for you. For example, maybe you see a 20% increase in mass from one benchmark to the next.
- Hair microscopy is an aid in hair loss prevention. There are different benchmarks based on age. What is an acceptable amount of hair loss for a 50-year-old is considered too much for a 30-year-old. Choosing to have your hair analyzed with microscopy as young as your 20s before you experience hair loss will set a benchmark and make it easier to identify hair loss or thinning hair sooner.
Who is a Good Candidate?
Men and women of every age are good candidates for hair microscopy. This includes people who are:
- Experiencing hair loss or thinning
- Undergoing hair loss treatment
- Interested in hair loss prevention
In short, whether you are currently experiencing hair loss or not, hair microscopy is extremely beneficial.
Ready to Get Answers?
Hair microscopy allows you to finally answer the question you have been asking about your hair loss. Is your hair growing the way it should be, and if not, what is the best solution for achieving healthy hair?
Unique Hair Concepts is ready to help you tackle hair loss head-on. The first step is learning as much as possible about your situation with hair microscopy. Do not waste another minute wondering what is going on with your hair. Contact us today to get the answers you need.
