The use of scanning electron microscopy in the analysis of pathological hairs

The potentials of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) have only to a certain degree been exploited in the study of pathological hair fibers. In this review brief viewpoints on aspects of preparation and interpretation are discussed. It is shown that SEM will reveal important facts on the morphology of pathological hairs is appropriate experiment are performed, such as forming a knot on the fiber. Such a simple experiment will provide information on the fiber cross section, and on the tensile strength of the cuticle and the fiber. Complementary methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis of pathological hair fibers are suggested.