Hair DNA testing: Hair follicles contain DNA; hair can be tested to establish paternity or as evidence in a crime investigation.
Hair drug testing: Many street drugs (or their breakdown products in the body) are absorbed into the hair. A sample of hair can be tested for recent drug use.
Hair analysis: Testing of hair for toxic exposures, such as lead or mercury poisoning. These tests are limited by inconsistency and difficulty interpreting their results.
Hair Treatments
Minoxidil (Rogaine): A medicine applied to the scalp, which can help prevent hair loss in most people when used daily.
Finasteride (Propecia): A medicine for men taken in pill form daily, which regrows some hair and prevents hair loss in most men who use it.
Hair transplants: Surgery to remove skin and hair from the back of the scalp, and transplant groups of hair follicles to areas of thin hair.
Hair electrolysis: A very fine needle is inserted into a hair follicle, and electrical current is applied. The electricity destroys the follicle, preventing hair growth.
Laser hair removal: A laser is aimed at the cells in the hair follicle, and the laser's high energy destroys cells there, preventing hair growth