Study recommends daily counts to assess degree of hair loss

Houston - A new study shows that people worried about hair loss can count on counting as a way to find out if their concerns are justified, HealthDay News reports.

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have found that counting the number of hairs shed after combing for 60 seconds is a simple, reliable way to assess the extent of hair shedding. The results of their study appear in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology.

After having 60 healthy men, ages 20 to 60 and without alopecia, perform hair counts, the researchers determined normal ranges for a standardized 60-second hair count.

Investigators found that normal range was zero to 78 hairs (mean: 10.2 hairs) for men ages 20 to 40, and zero to 43 hairs (mean: 10.3 hairs) for men ages 41 to 60. There was little intrapatient variability for hair counts.

The study notes that results were consistent when repeated six months later and similar to subject counts when repeated by a trained investigator.

“A properly performed 60-second hair count is a simple, practical and reliable tool for the assessment of hair shedding,” the authors conclude.

They also note that Merck funded the study and that one of the authors has a financial relationship with Pfizer.