AFLD: “We’re Not Just The President, We’re Also A Client”

Sy Sperling's trademark phrase, "I'm not just the president, I'm also a client," made Hair Club for Men, one of the most recognizable (and parodied) companies of its kind.

Now it appears that the French Anti-Doping Agency is also getting into the hair business.

On a recent random drug test, the AFLD took a hair sample from Lance Armstrong. Although it was the 24th tests since Armstrong’s comeback, among a myriad of tests during his career, it seems to be the first time the AFLD or any anti-doping agency has taken an alternative biological sample for testing as Armstrong was genuinely caught off guard by the request.

"Yet another 'surprise' anti-doping control…This one from the French authorities. Urine, blood, and hair! Classic...," he wrote from his Twitter account.

For CSI fans or for those in the drug treatment professions, forensic hair analysis isn’t novel.

“The scientific study of hair is called trichology and this field dates to the mid 1800s. Forensic scientists perform three major types of hair analysis. Chemical assays are used to assess the use of illegal drugs, to screen for the presence of heavy metals in the body, and to test for nutritional deficiencies. The root of the hair has cells that contain DNA, which can be used for DNA analyses. Microscopic comparison of hair collected from two different places is used to determine if the hairs are from the same person or animal…Because hair grows out of follicles in the skin, materials in the body are incorporated into the hair. Hair grows relatively slowly, so it takes several weeks for materials in the body to be reflected in the composition of the hair. Hair that is collected for the presence of drugs, heavy metals, and nutritional insufficiencies is usually clipped from the nape of the neck. About a spoonful is necessary for analysis.”

The use of alternative biological samples, like hair, is another weapon for anti-doping agencies to help "increase available data for accurately interpreting the drug-use history of an individual." But for these agencies, like the AFLD, that have purported themselves to be nearly infallible on blood or urine testing alone, it is surprising that it has taken this long to incorporate readily available alternative samples as a validation of their results.

More: Huestis, MA and Smith, ML (2006). Modern analytical technologies for the detection of drug abuse and doping. Analytical Chemistry.