Three layers of the hair shaft are used in determining how a crime was committed and who the criminal may be. The medulla, the innermost core of the hair, can be used to determine the race or ethnicity of the potential perpetrator.

The cortex is the layer over the medulla and is used to compare one hair to another. Microscopic air bubbles and pigment granules help scientists distinguish between the hair types. The outermost layer, the cuticle, can be used to determine the species (if the hair belongs to an animal) through analysis of the patterns of scales that cover the cortex.

In terms of investigation, the root of the hair can be one of the most useful pieces of evidence. By the root (or lack thereof), scientists can tell if the hair was shed naturally, pulled out, or cut off. The root is where investigators can find DNA to help precipitate their analysis. If a hair is pulled out during the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle a root bulb will appear with follicular tissue. This tissue has nuclear DNA which helps create a DNA profile unique to the hair’s owner.

During the catagen stage, the root of the hair pulls away from the shaft, and the hair is easily pulled from the head. The root bulb is less round and more elongated in this phase. In the final stage, the telogen phase, the hair sheds naturally and has a club-shaped root bulb. These two phases do not produce a follicular tag, which means nuclear DNA cannot be harvested from hairs in the catagen and telogen phases. However, mitochondrial DNA may be found in just the hair and can help to narrow down subjects, though it cannot distinguish between siblings.

Hair is also useful in chemical tests since it is often the only evidence still remaining after other bodily evidence has disappeared. Scientists can determine the presence of chemicals, poisons, heat treatments, and more. The important thing to note about the use of hair in investigations is that it is only one piece of an investigative puzzle. Hair cannot be used as evidence on its own. However, it can be very useful along with other pieces of evidence. Who knew your hair held so much information?

For more information on healthy hair, hair loss, or hair restoration, contact our office in Atlanta, GA. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter with the latest in news, hair facts, and more!

Bertino, Anthony J., and Patricia Nolan. Bertino. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2009.

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The hair growth cycle is ongoing, and on an average day, 90% of your hair is in the resting phase while the other 10% is either growing or shedding. Balding occurs when the hair sheds, and no hair re-grows to replace it. Hair is made of keratin, the same material that makes up your nails and the outer layer of your skin. Hair is really a dead structure while the follicular bulb is the growing center.  Because the actual strand of hair is not alive, hot curlers, chemical processing, hard plastic combs can cause damage and lead to split ends and fracturing of the shafts.

The hair growth cycle begins with the anagen or growth phase. During this phase cells in the root of the hair divide to add to the hair shaft. Depending on your genetics, the growth phase can last anywhere from 2 to 6 years. As the anagen phase comes to an end, an unknown signal tells the hair to enter the next stage. The hair grows about a fourth of an inch each month, and though it is technically dead, a healthy hair care regimen can keep it looking beautiful while it’s in the anagen phase.

The catagen stage follows the anagen phase and is made up of a 2-3 week transitional period in which the hair is no longer growing. During this stage, a club hair is formed. A club hair occurs when the section of the hair follicle attaches to the hair shaft, cutting the follicle off from its blood supply and the cells that produce new hair. This club hair leads to the next stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle.

The final stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle is the telogen or resting phase. During this two to four month phase, the hair begins to shed at normal levels, and the anagen phase begins again producing new hair.

The average person sheds around 100 telogen-stage hairs a day between brushing the hair, showering, and other activities. High-stress and trauma like high fevers, nutritional deficiencies, pneumonia, and accidents can cause hair to shed in higher than normal amounts. Patterned baldness (androgenetic alopecia) occurs when hair production slows and beings to produce weak, shorter hairs, eventually ceasing to grow completely in some areas.

Men and women often lose hair for different reasons and should be properly diagnosed before beginning any hair restoration treatment. Depending on the cause of your hair loss, there are both surgical and non-surgical treatment options including hair restoration surgery and medications like Propecia®, Rogaine®, and Proscar®.

For more information on hair loss causes and hair restoration, contact the Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for more hair regrowth news and updates.

Each person goes through the hair growth and shedding cycle. In the anagen phase also known as the growth phase of the hair follicle, new hair cells are produced. The catagen phase is where the hair is no longer growing but the follicle is shrinking. The final stage, the telogen phase, occurs when the hair is in a resting state, no longer growing, but on the verge of shedding. The hair stays in this resting state for about three months when it begins to shed, and the anagen phase begins gradually. Therefore, the average patient loses about 100 hairs per day. At the end of the telogen phase, the hair cycle of growth begins again, and if you could watch the follicular opening you would see a new hair emerge in a couple of weeks.

Though each individual’s hair growth and shedding cycle schedules will vary slightly, the researchers found that the women studied had the highest percentage of hair in the telogen stage at the end of summer. This means that after a period of time, these women will have some hair loss since the resting phase is always followed by a shedding. During this time, the patient may feel that his or her hair is thinning with the natural loss of hair that is occurring. The same sort of hair-loss phasing happens, though with a lower percentage of hair, in the spring as well. Researchers speculate that this extra amount of lost hair may be brought about by evolution, since the body seems to hold on to hair during the warmer months to protect the scalp from the summer sun.

For those people who experience hair loss with no growth to follow it, The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research offers both non-surgical and surgical treatment and prevention options for women’s hair loss. Most commonly this hair loss is the result of female patterned hair loss, and the minuturization of hairs which eventually do not return.  This process can be slowed and even in some cases reversed with treatment.

Contact us for more information on hair loss or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Edmond Griffin, hair restoration specialist. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates.

To answer your first question—While there are many causes for hair loss in men besides genetics, a majority of men facing hair loss have male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Just as with women’s hair loss, men can also lose hair because of hormones, stress, and certain medications, among other causes. Men with pattern baldness are usually optimal candidates for hair restoration surgery because they have an adequate donor region for harvesting follicular grafts. Women’s expectations are generally much higher than men’s. Men approach hair transplant surgery wanting more hair, while women usually want a return to full thickness. Thinning hair is not acceptable for them, and oftentimes more than one session may be necessary.

Another reason you hear about more men undergoing hair restoration surgery is that there is a stronger social stigma tied to women discussing hair loss conditions. Remember the attention placed on Lady Gaga when she discussed using Rogaine® in interviews? While the pop superstar took advantage of topic treatments, it is becoming more acceptable for women to seek medical hair loss treatments beyond Rogaine®.

Also, women’s hair restoration surgery is more complex than men’s, and doctors are even sometimes reluctant to perform surgery on women because of the frequency of temporary hair loss amongst female patients. When female patients consider hair transplant surgery, the surgeon must diagnose the reason for loss making sure that it is not just a temporary loss where the hair will regrow with other medical treatments. For example, if hair loss is caused by scarring related to trauma or surgery, the transplanted hair may not grow in its new home.

I have been researching hair loss and hair restoration for 35 years.  Therefore, after a thorough consultation which may include a scalp biopsy to confirm diagnosis, I am usually able to pinpoint the cause of a patient’s hair loss and suggest a suitable treatment plan, which may include surgery, hair loss prevention medication, or other therapies to regrow hair.

Now, for the second question—There are multiple variables that could prevent both men and women from having hair transplant surgery.  In addition to an inadequate donor region or a larger than normal recipient area, hair loss caused by high fevers, trauma, or hormone fluctuation, such as women who lose hair during pregnancy, is often temporary. Likewise, men and women who lose their hair because of certain medications, especially after chemotherapy, can experience temporary hair loss. Usually once medications are discontinued the hair loss stops and hair recovers. Patients with temporary hair loss are not candidates for hair transplant surgery. However, these patients often need to seek the care of a hair restoration specialist to determine the cause of hair loss.

I have performed hundreds of hair restorations on women, and they have been equally as successful and grow as well as my male hair transplant procedures, as you can see in my women’s hair restoration before and after gallery. The “pattern” of female pattern hair loss is different from male pattern hair loss. Women, luckily, do not go totally bald like men.  Men bald from the front backwards and lose hair in the temporal regions (around and above the ears) whereas only 12% of women lose hair near the ears. Women are most likely to begin balding near the front of the head and on the crown, leaving a rim of good hair around the head. Because men and women bald differently, I use specialized techniques to separate the donor and treatment regions during female hair transplant surgery to accommodate the distinct challenges presented by this procedure.

If you are a women experiencing hair loss and considering hair restoration, you need to first determine the cause of your hair loss. Schedule a consultation to learn more and to find out if you might be a candidate for surgery. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook.

Researchers have studied stem cells previously for disease treatment, but it was just recently that Yale researchers pinpointed stem cells in the scalp of bald men as an underlying cause of androgenetic alopecia (patterned baldness). The researchers concluded that hair growth is dependent upon fat within the scalp. In men with male pattern baldness, the strip of fat on the scalp shrinks and hair cannot grow. When hair grows, the scalp’s layer of fat expands (a process called adipogenesis). Specialized stem cells, known as precursor cells, are responsible for expanding the layer of fat.

The researchers reached this conclusion after injecting precursor cells into mice that were unable to produce hair or the fat necessary to produce hair, and in two weeks hair began to grow. The precursor cells produced a chemical called platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) that produced hair growth 100 times faster than the rate of non-treated mice. Overall, the mice treated with PDGF saw 86% restored hair follicle growth. Before stem cells can be used for hair growth in humans, scientists must determine that the cellular signaling in humans is the same as that of the mice.

It may be a while before humans are treated for baldness with stem cells, but the research shows promise. The providers at The Griffin Center are watching this research closely for further developments. Whether you’re searching for a hair loss prevention regimen or debating hair transplant surgery, schedule a consultation with Dr. Griffin today so that he can listen to your concerns, determine a cause for hair loss, and recommend a method of treatment. To stay on top of new techniques for hair restoration, be sure to find us on Facebook and keep reading his blog.