Hair that grows on an individual’s head can actually be the source of a great deal of information relating to the health of the individual. The scalp is specially designed with thousands of hair follicles that allow hair to grow. This thick cover of hair is important from the point of view of an individual’s physical appearance. People tend to spend large amounts of money throughout their lives to improve the appearance of their hair.
Hair is made up of protein and many other substances. The growth of hair from the head is quite slow. This means that hair tends to grow out gradually. As this happens, the hair collects information from within the body. This happens because the scalp, like every other part of the body is supplied with blood. As blood flows around the body, some of its components may be absorbed into the hair. Because hair grows slowly out of the scalp, it can contain information that is relevant for a period of weeks prior to the removal of the hair from the scalp. A single strand of hair can be useful when one wishes to analyze the makeup of the body over the period during which the hair has grown.
Hair analysis is very useful when one wishes to check for drug abuse and for any case where the patient may be consuming toxic and poisonous substances. Forensic hair analysis is a relatively new area of law enforcement and investigation. Using the fact that hair contains so much information, forensic hair analysis in the lab is used to determine the circumstances surrounding an individual’s death. Naturally, forensic hair analysis is conducted when there is some suggestion that the individual has perished in suspicious circumstances. Forensic hair analysis can be used to rule out or confirm such suspicions.
In many countries of the world, forensic hair testing is now standard procedure when law enforcement agencies are dealing with criminal events. This specifically applies to individuals who may have perished from drug use or those who may have perished from poisoning through the use of toxic substances.
Forensic hair analysis is also used if hair strands have been found at the scene of a crime. These hair strands can be linked directly to the individual who has committed the crime. Therefore, the application of forensic hair analysis is quite vast and covers many areas of law enforcement, making it difficult for criminals to get away with their illegal activities.