Measurement of human hair growth by optical microscopy and image analysis

We have developed a quantitative method for measuring hair growth using optical microscopy and image analysis, and have used this to investigate the rate of growth in subjects with and without alopecia. The hairs were cut from an area 7-8 mm in diameter and 24 h and 72 h later, images of the areas were obtained using an optical microscope and were recorded on a video disc. Measurements of the regrowing hairs, placed parallel to the scalp using a glass slide attached to the front of the microscope, were made using the image analyser. In subjects with little or no baldness there was a clear difference between fast-growing hairs and resting or slow-growing hairs. However, in subjects with alopecia there was no such difference and the growth rate of all the hairs showed a continuous distribution. Using this method other parameters such as the number of hairs per unit area and hair diameter as well as grouping of the hairs could be measured.