Sunday, April 28, 2024

Hair Follicle Test: Everything You Need to Know

a hair drug test

Negative results for a basic 5-panel hair follicle drug test are usually available within 2 to 3 days. The more complex 9 to 17 panel may take a couple days longer; positive initial test results are sent for further confirmatory GC-MS testing which may take a few extra days. There are several types of hair drug test panels available, depending on the substances you want to test for. The most common tests ordered are 5-panel and 12-panel tests; however, you can find comprehensive testing for any and all combinations of drug and alcohol use. It is often called a hair follicle drug test but actually we don’t test the hair follicle, we cut head hair as close to the scalp as possible for the hair drug test. Leg hair, arm hair, beard hair and underarm hair are all options if there is not 1.5 inches of head hair available.

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Hair can be collected from several body locations (excluding pubic areas) and combined to obtain the required amount of hair. For body hair, collect at least 100mg of hair and more if the test is for EtG hair testing and if testing for 12 or more drugs. Although it is still fairly new technology, hair testing is very effective as long as it is administered by a properly trained technician. Our experience has allowed us to develop the expertise that has helped to make our testing processes as simple and efficient as possible. Urine drug tests can only identify drug use for approximately a week into an individual’s recent past.

a hair drug test

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When a drug is consumed it leaves behind trace remnants known as “metabolites” in the blood stream that then become deposited in various portions of our physiology. These metabolites, however, have a lifespan for the period in which they remain detectable to certain testing methods and scientific instruments. The traditional drug test, such as the urine test that has been a commercial and medical standard for many years now, is easy to administer and collect.

What happens during a hair follicle drug test?

Urine and blood tests can detect specific drugs in the body for up to 1-2 weeks after the last use. They look for drug metabolites, the by-products your body creates when drugs break down in your system. Hair tests also look for drug metabolites but can detect other signs of drug use on a person’s head. For instance, if you have been around someone smoking THC, the oil could transfer to your hair and produce a positive result.

What You Need to Know About Hair Follicle Drug Tests

A confirmed positive result for a drug or drug metabolite is considered evidence of use or exposure in that time period. Ethyl alcohol may be detected in urine for up to 12 hours after consumption of alcohol-containing beverages. A confirmed positive result for ethyl alcohol is suggestive of recent alcohol use.

Our Drug Testing Los Angeles, CA locations are ready to serve your needs. For urine tests, detection times depend on how frequently the person smokes. Casual use can be detected up to three days; chronic use can be detected for 30 days or more. The detection window in urine depends on the type of barbiturate taken.

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Hair follicle drug tests are performed on a sample of hair, usually collected from a person’s scalp. During hair follicle drug testing, scissors are used to remove a small sample of hair. Compared to other forms of drug testing, hair follicle drug testing offers advantages such as a long detection window and the ability to estimate patterns of drug use over time. Hair follicle drug testing detects evidence of drug use or misuse in a sample of hair.

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The person collecting the sample will take about 100 to 120 hairs from your head. If you don’t have enough hair on your head, your hair sample can come from body hair on the face, arms, armpits, legs, or elsewhere. Once received by the laboratory, the hair sample may be washed prior to testing. Specialized methods of washing the hair sample remove some external contaminants, dirt, and grease from the surface of the hair. Hair follicle drug tests are very accurate in detecting long-term drug use because of the large window of time they can detect.

What if a person has no hair on their head?

If the result is positive, a second test called gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (CG-MS) is performed to confirm the result. The CG-MS is a different method of testing for substances and can confirm a positive result from the ELISA test. One of the benefits of follicle drug tests is that they can show whether someone used or abused drugs as far back as three months before the test.

In other words, it takes longer for a hair sample to show a positive result after someone has used a drug, but it will test positive for far longer (sometimes months) than saliva, blood, or urine. Using strategic partners, Labcorp offers initial screening tests performed by immunoassay with confirmation of presumptive positive screens by mass spectrometry. Results for specimens that screen negative for all drugs are generally available within 48 to 72 hours after specimens are received at the laboratory.

Your questions will be answered by a laboratory scientist as part of a voluntary service provided by one of our partners, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. Please allow 2-3 business days for an email response from one of the volunteers on the Consumer Information Response Team. A sample of hair can be collected at home, at a laboratory, or in a medical setting. Many parents consider using drug testing as a tool to prevent or confirm the use or misuse of drugs in children and adolescents. Professional organizations advocate for the ethical use of drug testing, often emphasizing the importance of patient education and consent before conducting a drug test.

The positive test result is then delivered to the test subject and/or the organization requesting the test confidentially. If you receive a negative result from the phase 1 ELISA portion of the drug test, you haven't used any drugs tested in the last 90 days. A follow-up test isn't necessary because there are no drug metabolites in your system. These tests detect the same drugs as typical panel 5, 7, 10, and 12 urine tests. How long drugs are detected by a hair follicle test depends on various factors. In contrast, urine and blood tests provide a look into an individual’s most recent drug use.

Some of these companies include JB Hunt, C. R. England, Schneider Trucking, Swift Transportation, Shell Oil, and others. These companies cite safety and the large investment required as their motivation for conducting hair drug testing in addition to required DOT urine drug testing. With the urine drug test, the applicant or employee might refrain from drug use for five or more days and avoid the detection of illegal drugs in the urine. So in reality, pre-employment drug testing using hair tests would be more effective in preventing the hiring of a substance abuser. Hair follicle tests have a detection window extending up to 90 days, a duration considerably longer than most other testing methods.

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