Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Dermatology (Expert Forum)
hair pull test question
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
Welcome to the DERMATOLOGY FORUM! Questions in this forum are answered by Dermatologists from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, under the direction of Andrew Alexis, M.D., M.P.H.
hair pull test question
by Silver_Surfer, Nov 15, 2007 01:46PM
I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I’m not looking to go to a dermatologist to get any sort of additional tests done. I simply need some clarification. I am a person who likes to ask things twice.
I am almost 29 years-old and am a white male. There is no appearance of balding on my scalp. However, I do have (and have had) a portion of my hair at the crown area that lays flat. This has been described to me as a sort of “reverse” cowlick. Rather than sticking straight up, this section of hair growth swings at an angle and lays down flat against my scalp.
My question revolves around a hair-pull test in this specific area. My physician was doing a hair-pull test, and noted that the results did NOT indicate active balding or miniaturization on my scalp. At the area where my hair lays flat, however, she commented on something unusual. She did a hair-pull test in this area, and only pulled out a very few hairs. She remarked that the hairs that actually did come out looked like a few vellus hair. I asked her what this meant. She stated that even though thicker, actively growing hairs were prevalent, the hair-pull test only showed the removal of a few vellus hairs because of the way my hair grows in that location. She explained that because the hair grows at an angle and lies flat, it is more difficult to pull straight up on the hair to perform the test. As a result, the only hairs that were pulled out during that portion of the test were a few vellus hairs since they are already shallowly rooted and possibly more exposed because of the way my hair lays flat. She said that the removal of these few vellus hairs was not an indication of balding or miniaturization. Rather, it was simply a result of the way that my hair grows and lies in that area.
My question is:
Does this explanation from my physician make sense to you as a dermatologist? Is this a reasonable sounding explanation?
Thank you.
I am almost 29 years-old and am a white male. There is no appearance of balding on my scalp. However, I do have (and have had) a portion of my hair at the crown area that lays flat. This has been described to me as a sort of “reverse” cowlick. Rather than sticking straight up, this section of hair growth swings at an angle and lays down flat against my scalp.
My question revolves around a hair-pull test in this specific area. My physician was doing a hair-pull test, and noted that the results did NOT indicate active balding or miniaturization on my scalp. At the area where my hair lays flat, however, she commented on something unusual. She did a hair-pull test in this area, and only pulled out a very few hairs. She remarked that the hairs that actually did come out looked like a few vellus hair. I asked her what this meant. She stated that even though thicker, actively growing hairs were prevalent, the hair-pull test only showed the removal of a few vellus hairs because of the way my hair grows in that location. She explained that because the hair grows at an angle and lies flat, it is more difficult to pull straight up on the hair to perform the test. As a result, the only hairs that were pulled out during that portion of the test were a few vellus hairs since they are already shallowly rooted and possibly more exposed because of the way my hair lays flat. She said that the removal of these few vellus hairs was not an indication of balding or miniaturization. Rather, it was simply a result of the way that my hair grows and lies in that area.
My question is:
Does this explanation from my physician make sense to you as a dermatologist? Is this a reasonable sounding explanation?
Thank you.
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Nov 16, 2007 04:59AM
, Nov 16, 2007 04:59AMTo: Silver_Surfer
Yes, it does make sense. The hair pull test is not a very precise one, however. It rally doesn't tell you whether you're balding, at least whether you're losing your hair in a genetic way, since that kind of hair loss is slow and you wouldn't get a lot of hairs on a pull test, vellus or otherwise. I think what your doctor meant to say is that getting some vellus hairs on a pull doesn't mean much, which I agree with.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
