Hair Testing

Hair Testing Applications

Hair’s greatest strength is its long detection window, which can range from seven days to three months.  In certain cases, a substance can be spotted up to a year after ingestion. This knowledge is valuable in several areas of toxicology testing, including the following:

Prescription-Drug Monitoring

The brief detection window associated with urine, blood and oral fluid makes it impossible to infer extended historical ingestion from a single test. However, historical use can be a red flag for healthcare professionals when assessing new pain management patients. Hair testing can be part of a patient’s initial evaluation to gather a baseline history and determine potential diversion risks.

Treatment Centers and Facilities

Hair testing can be effective in measuring long-term compliance for those recovering from substance abuse and addiction. Those with a need to test include substance-abuse treatment centers, in-patient and out-patient facilities, drug counselors, methadone clinics, private practice physicians and agents of the court.

Criminal Justice

There are multiple agents with a legal interest in their clients’ sobriety, including judges, probation officers and attorneys, and the stakes are higher with individuals who are forced into treatment. Hair testing can verify abstinence from specific drugs of interest over a long period of time.

Hair Lab Technology

Our hair testing services include screens using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and confirmations via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our cutting edge instrumentation is among the best in the industry and allows us to return quality results

Several matrices in toxicology testing can detect recent drug use. But what if the goal is to expose historical behaviors instead? Hair testing is a valuable tool that can be used in prescription-drug monitoring, treatment center addiction testing and criminal-justice functions to identify substance use over extended periods of time. Our laboratory is among a select few toxicology labs in the nation with the expertise and technology to offer this service.