November 2025 in “Contraception” COC use doesn't increase hair stress hormone levels, but hair treatments may affect results.
September 2024 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” Ectoin helps prevent cortisone-induced skin problems and supports skin health.
January 2024 in “Case Reports in Endocrinology” Cortisone tapering may help improve severe myasthenia gravis and alopecia areata after thymectomy.
May 2021 in “Journal of the Endocrine Society” A patient produced cortisol after adrenalectomy, possibly due to residual tissue or other body parts making steroids.
May 2016 in “Endocrine Abstracts” Proximal hair cortisol is a reliable tool for diagnosing Cushing's Syndrome.
567 citations
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October 2007 in “Clinical and investigative medicine” Hair cortisol can be used to measure long-term stress exposure.
489 citations
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June 2005 in “The FASEB Journal” Human hair follicles can produce cortisol like the body's stress response system.
217 citations
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July 2009 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair analysis can track past cortisol levels in Cushing's Syndrome patients.
199 citations
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July 2007 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Hair cortisol can reliably indicate chronic stress in cats and dogs.
189 citations
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January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” Hair cortisol analysis effectively measures long-term stress.
122 citations
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October 2013 in “PEDIATRICS” Maternal stress during pregnancy affects a child's stress levels.
122 citations
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October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
101 citations
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January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” The method effectively measures long-term stress levels using hair samples.
95 citations
,
September 1979 in “Acta Paediatrica” Girls have higher DHEA levels earlier in puberty than boys, indicating earlier development.
90 citations
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July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
69 citations
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August 2016 in “PubMed” High stress can disrupt hair growth, but certain supplements might help.
69 citations
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May 2016 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” External factors can significantly affect hair cortisol levels, so it's not always a reliable stress marker.
65 citations
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December 1986 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” The woman had a genetic condition causing high cortisol and androgen levels, treatable with dexamethasone.
50 citations
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November 2020 in “Physiology & behavior” People with depression often have higher hair cortisol levels, while those with PTSD tend to have lower levels, but more research is needed to understand this fully.
50 citations
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June 2014 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair hormone levels can indicate obesity-related changes and are useful for research and clinical practice.
47 citations
,
January 2016 in “MethodsX” Hair cortisol analysis is a reliable tool for monitoring long-term stress in captive chimpanzees if certain variables are controlled.
44 citations
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February 2016 in “Zoology” Hair cortisol levels in primates are useful for stress assessment but vary by age, sex, species, and hair collection methods.
43 citations
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January 1999 in “Endocrinology” Cortisol increases a specific protein in bone cells, which may help explain its negative effects on bone.
24 citations
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October 2018 in “Addiction Biology” Alcohol dependence affects stress hormone levels more than childhood maltreatment.
23 citations
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January 2016 in “Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry” First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.
23 citations
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October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair can show increased cortisol levels during late pregnancy.
22 citations
,
August 2016 in “European Eating Disorders Review” Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have lower hair cortisol levels than healthy and psychiatric peers.
21 citations
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January 2016 in “NeuroImmunoModulation” Hair cortisol levels can indicate stress over the past three months.
10 citations
,
November 2018 in “Developmental Psychobiology” Hair can effectively measure DHEA and testosterone levels in children.
9 citations
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November 1980 in “Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde” Fenoterol treatment causes increased hair growth due to higher metabolism in hair follicles, not hormones.