Q: I was just informed that my employer is going to start using hair follicle drug tests. Please tell me more about this. Am I going to have a huge, bald spot after one of these tests? Is it going to be painful? How accurate are the results? I’ve never taken drugs, but I’m worried about false positives.
O. Paulson
Lincoln, NE
A: Hair follicle drug testing is an alternative of urine testing to detect drugs in the system. When compared to urine testing, hair follicle testing has a much larger window of detection. The test is accurate and positive results go through a multi-step confirmation process, so you don’t have to worry about false positives.
The collection itself is not a painful process. While the technician will take a sample of about 100 hairs, you are not going to be left with a bald spot. The human head has thousands and thousands of hairs – a hundred will not be missed. While you may feel a tiny bit of discomfort during the procedure, a properly trained technician will be done in a timely manner. You have nothing to worry about – the testing is safe, secure and accurate.