II. Indications
III. Preparation
- Do not Shampoo hair 24 hours before test
IV. Technique
- Performed at the vertex, both parietal regions and occiput
- Grasp small clump (40-60 hairs, 1-2 cm) in index, middle and thumb
- Pull hairs gently but with firm pressure
- Slide fingers distally along the Hair Shaft
V. Interpretation: Count hairs shed with maneuver
- Discard broken hairs (do not count)
- Normal shedding: <10% of hairs pulled (or 4-6 or fewer hairs shed
- May also be falsely negative due to inadequate force
- Active shedding: More than 10% of hairs pulled or 4-6 or more hairs shed (some guidelines use >2 hairs shed)
- Telogen Effluvium (positive in >1 region)
- Anagen Effluvium (positive in >1 region)
- Alopecia Areata (positive in ONLY 1 region)