ARV Aesthetics

Sometimes a dermatologist may take a few hair fibers for microscopic analysis. Usually the hairs have to be pulled or plucked out rather than cut so that the dermatologist can examine the roots of the fiber as well as the shaft. The hairs are placed on a microscope slide and examined under the microscope.

Typically the dermatologist is asking himself/herself;Is the hair shaft straight and uniform thickness?Are there cracks, constrictions, or bulges along the length of the hair fiber?Is the cuticle intact or deformed?Is the fiber twisted, knotted, kinked?Is the fiber cross section round, oval, grooved?Is the hair root healthy or malformed?Is the exposed end of the hair cut, frayed, broken?Are there any particles on the fiber that are not part of the skin or hair structure?Are there mites, fungal structures?Using polarized light, does the hair fiber have a tiger stripe look to it? 
Sometimes a dermatologist may send the hair fiber away for further analysis using a scanning electron microscope. These microscopes provide very highly magnified images and the hair fiber can be processed so that the surface of the fiber and the internal structure can be looked at. Very occasionally hair fiber may be sent to a laboratory for chemical analysis. Usually the most important analysis is to identify the concentration of sulfur compounds in the hair fiber. Sulfur compounds are important for strength and flexibility in the hair fiber. Hair may also be used to look for concentrations of lead, zinc, copper, and various chemical compounds.