Nail Testing

fingernail drug tests

Fingernail testing (or toenails) is similar to hair strand drug testing. Each person’s nails grow out of a nail bed that is connected to the body’s blood flow. Fingernails are composed of a hard protein called keratin and are tested with the same process as hair.

Drugs are incorporated into nails from the blood stream and remain locked in the nail as it grows.

If drugs are used and enter the bloodstream, the nail bed (and thus fingernail clippings) will carry traces of the abused substances.

Why chose nails testing over hair testing?

If you’re debating whether to do a fingernail or hair drug test, here are a few of the advantages to fingernail testing:

  • Traces of drugs ingested or consumed within the past six to eight months can potentially be detected depending on length of the nail (longer than a hair test).

  • Fingernail clippings can always be collected (even if someone shaved their head.)

  • There is no reliable way to cheat this test (nail polish or other attempts cannot mask what lies within the nail beds.)

For reliable, accurate and confidential  fingernail drug testing, call your local ARCpoint Labs of Kalamazoo.

How we collect for Nail Testing

Here is how we collect specimens for fingernail drug testing:

  • The nail is clipped or shaved for testing.
  • It is then cleaned thoroughly with a chemical substance.
  • The cleaned specimen is then liquefied and tested.
  • Almost nothing can alter the chemical composition of the nail’s hard keratin protein, which makes it very difficult to alter the test or artificially produce a negative test result.

Please contact your local ARCpoint Labs of Kalamazoo location for more details on fingernail drug testing.