A NEW APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF HUMAN HAIR BY MEANS OF FT-IR MICROSPECTROSCOPY

Human hair has been examined by means of FT-IR microspectroscopy (FT-IR-M) using a high-pressure diamond cell. Microareas of the order of one hundred microns in diameter were analyzed, proceeding from bulb to shaft, for hairs in anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. The trends of the ratio values of integrated areas of the bands at 1080 and 1540 cm-1 and at 1080 and 1238 cm-1 in the three different phases showed remarkable differences in the bulb region near the root, probably due to a major DNA content with respect to proteinic components. Less evident spectral differences were observed in the suprabulbar region and in the shaft. The spectra of the shaft did not give rise to any spectral differences in the three hair phases. These findings offer a better insight into the structural changes of hairs submitted to exogenous and endogenous stresses.