KCI The Anti_Meth Site

How long does meth stay in your hair follicles?

jksl	Meth and hair follicles... I've been told this in chat (i forgot by who).. apparently meth stays in your hair follicles forever. Is this true? I can understand how it will stay in your spinal fluid, but in your hair follicles? forever? This has been stressing me out. Especially since i've noticed my facial hair growing out in random directions.
logolove	Re: Meth and hair follicles... Ummmm? Suze are you saying after three months it disappears from your follicles? I thought that you could test how long ago someone used by the length of hair - so if I pull out a good chunk from your scalp and then test close the scalp section - where the meth shows up in the follicles can give a rough idea of how long ago you last used - so the further away from the scalp the longer since your last exposure - but - I do not know if that means that 8" hair and you used 6 months ago means it won't show at all - they just usually test a length that is good for the last three months. (I hate that I know this)... As to your hair growing in different directions I wouldn't think that has to do with meth but I could be wrong.
robert	Re: Meth and hair follicles... Head hair grows about half an inch every month, so a woman with shoulder-length hair carries around a two-year record of her drug use. To test her, scientists would cut off a strip of about three months' worth of growth and then cut it into pieces for analysis. This segmentation allows them to approach each strand the way a dendrochronologist would approach a tree trunk. Like the cross section of a tree, a strand of hair can store information for thousands of years: In the early 1990s, scientists studying the hair of Peruvian and Chilean mummies found evidence of cocaine use dating back to 1000 B.C.Damn...Old addicts..LOL
forget suzette	Re: Meth and hair follicles... but, if you cut your hair.... .....I assume this is a guy we're replying to. you could also dye it. ....you'd look like slim shady tho. I'll take a stab at the wild facial hair too. ......the 1st year I quit speed, I had alot of cysts and ingrown hairs, I assume it's a way toxin's emerge. maybe you have ingrown facial hair.... ....mine was not on my face winks
Loraura	Re: Meth and hair follicles... A guy I know tried to slip by the hair test by cutting his hair really short. They took underarm hair. He didn't get the job.
robert	So do the powder look...hairless.That would be a dead giveaway HA..LOL
Hurting for YOU	Re: Meth and hair follicles... Hair Follicle Drug Testing FAQ Hair Drug Testing Facts What is hair drug screening? What time period does a standard hair follicle test cover? What type of drugs can be detected in a standard hair screen? How fast does head hair grow? Can body hair be drug tested like hair from the head? How much hair is needed? What if I am almost bald or have no hair? How effective is hair follicle testing in detecting drug usage? How do drugs get into hair? Back to Top Q: What is hair drug screening? A hair screen is an examination that uses a small sample of hair to identify specific drugs used by the person being tested. A hair follicle drug test measures the drug molecules and their specific metabolites that are produced only after the drug has been processed by the human body. After the drug is processed, trace amounts of its metabolites are inserted into hair follicle by the bloodstream. Back to TopQ: What time period does a standard hair follicle test cover? A standard hair follicle screen covers a period of approximately 90 days, but is susceptible to time variation depending on the growth rate of your hair. The hair sample is cut as close to the scalp as possible and the most recent 3.9cm (or 1.5 inches) are tested. It is possible to go back even further than 90 days since the time period is limited only by the length of the hair sample, but is standardized to a 90 day history. Back to TopQ: What type of drugs can be detected in a standard hair test? Cocaine (Cocaine & Benzoylecgonine), Marijuana, Opiates (Codeine, Morphine & 6-Monacteyl Morphine), Methamphetamine (Methamphetamine/Amphetamine & Ecstasy), and Phencyclidine (PCP). These five drug classes are mandated for testing by the Federal Government. Back to TopQ:How fast does head hair grow? Hair collected at the crown of the head grows on the average of approximately 1.3 cm (or 1/2 inch) per month. This growth rate varies among people by approximately + .2 cm per month which can create a possible time variation of up to +1 week per month. Back to TopQ:Can body hair be drug tested like hair from the head? Body hair can be drug tested just as hair from the head. The growth rates for body are considerably slower than the hair from your head. Most body hair is replaced in about one year. It is challenging to precisely represent the time period of a standard screen with body hair so substances may be detected in body hair for up to 1 year after the substance left the blood stream. Back to TopQ:How much hair is needed? A standard screen with GC/MS confirmation requires 40+ milligrams of hair or approximately 50 - 70 strands that are up to 3.9cm (or 1.5 inches) in length. The thickness and pigment color of different types of head hair (thick black vs. thinning gray) is the basis of this variation. Back to TopQ:What if I am almost bald or have no hair? Hair can be collected from several head and/or body locations (excluding pubic areas) and combined to obtain the required amount of hair. In the rare case where no hair is collectable, complete urine/adulteration testing may be utilized. Back to TopQ:How effective is hair follicle testing in detecting drug usage? In comparison to a urinalysis drug test, cocaine, PCP, opiates, and methamphetamine have proven hair analysis far more effective than urine testing in identifying low-level drug use over an extended period of time since these are normally out of the bloodstream in within 3-7 days (see drug detection times). The detection of marijuana is currently less sensitive than the other drugs in identifying low level drug users, but is considered approximately equal to urinalysis in identifying marijuana users. The detection period for hair is limited only by the length of the hair sample and is approximately 90 days for a standard screen. Back to TopQ:How do drugs get into hair? After a substance is ingested, whether orally, smoked, snorted, or injected, metabolites are produced as the drug is processed by the human body. As these drugs and metabolites circulate in the blood stream, they enter and nourish the hair follicle and are then inserted into the hair strand.
robert	Re: Meth and hair follicles... So some of my hair is still Hi...That sucks... No wonder it don't cooperate most the time...LOL That is some grate information..But is it more costly to have this type of test done on individuals. Which I'm guessing yes..So if they really want to dig deep to make sure your a normie they will.. Can you imagine if cigarettes were illegal..There would be a lot of bald people walking around... Then you would know who uses and who don't.....
jksl	Re: Meth and hair follicles... @Forget Suzette Have the ingrown hairs stopped? Have those hairs started to grow normally for you? i was thinking about this, and i think what was meant was that... it stays in your follicles forever because of the drug's half-life. Meaning that traces of it would be there, but it would be less and less as time goes on (half of what was there before... half of what was there before. there will always be half of what was there before). Also, even though hair gets replaced by new hairs, the Follicles themselves don't get replaced. The follicle could be dormant and remain as peach fuzz, but once that follicle dies (no more peach fuzz and replaced by pure shiny spot) it will never be replaced. So, what was meant was that there will always be residual traces (no matter how small - half-life) of it in your follicles because they don't get replaced like skin cells. Actually, i asked my doctor about this yesterday and he laughed. He didn't give me a straight answer, but said that if this was true then it would mean my hair follicles would get healthier every single day 'till i die (as long as i never go back to using).
Penel0pe	Re: Meth and hair follicles... My hair is all the way to my butt. Assuming I stay clean until January 18th 2009, I will have 5 years clean on that day (I quit using meth sometime in November 2003.) The ends of my hair are probably chock - full - o - dope. They could do that thing like they do with the rings of ancient tree stumps with my hair: "Here's where she quit using meth and started again in 2003 50 times, here's where she finally stopped, Here's where she FINALLY stopped smoking pot and getting high in 2004... oh, look - is that a SIX PACK right there in August of 2003?"
jksl	Re: Meth and hair follicles... I don't want to remove my hair. I just want it to be healthy. I'm worried because i think it's contributing to the random directions that my facial hairs are growing, along with the ingrown hairs - i'm worried that this will never get better. Now that i think about it though, it could be because of inflammation (if this is the reason, how long will that last?).
forget suzette	Re: Meth and hair follicles... about a year.
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