Miniaturization Mapping vs Pull Test

Dr. Rassman,

I’m going to make an appointment to have the miniaturization test in your office, but someone told me about a “pull-test” which measures the ratio of hairs pulled from a sample area on top of your head to hairs pulled in a sample from the donor area. When compared to the donor area, if significantly more hairs come out from the sample area on the top of your head, then you are balding. Is this test accurate to some extent?

The pull test is not good for diagnosis of miniaturization and genetic hair loss. The degree of shaft thickness change is what mapping will show. Hairs that are in the early phase of miniaturization will not pull out. Those that do pull out, may be the hairs about to go into their telogen cycle.