A simple “60-second hair count” can tell you if your headed for baldness, and how fast your getting there, according to a report in the June Archives of Dermatology.

“Currently, there is no widely accepted or standard method for assessing the number of hairs shed daily,” according the article.

There is a generally  held belief that it is normal to shed 100 hairs per day. While prevalent, it has not been scientifically validated, does not indicate whether shedding remains constant with age, or if it is similar between men and women.

Carina A. Wasko, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and colleagues studied hair loss in 60 healthy men (half age 20 to 40 and half age 41 to 60) without evidence of baldness. All participants were given identical combs and instructions to wash hair with the same brand of shampoo for three consecutive mornings. On the fourth day, they were asked to comb hair forward for 60 seconds over a towel or pillowcase of contrasting color before shampooing. The men combed their hair this way and then counted hairs shed for three consecutive days. This procedure was repeated in eligible participants six months later.

The study found that participants age 20 through 40 shed 0 to 78 hairs, with an average loss of 10.2 hairs per 60-second test. Men age 41 to 60 shed 0 to 43 hairs, with an average loss of 10.3 hairs per 60-second test. The results were consistent on consecutive days for all participants.

“When repeated six months later in both age groups, the hair counts did not change much. The hair counts were repeated and verified by a trained investigator, with results similar to those of subject hair counts,” the authors write.

“In summary, the 60-second hair count is a simple, practical and objective tool for monitoring conditions associated with hair shedding,” the authors conclude.

Source
Archives of Dermatology