Does Smoking Cause Hair Loss? Its Impacts on Hair Health
Time to read 5 min
Time to read 5 min
Many people are concerned about severe hair fall nowadays. In such a situation, a common question arises: Does smoking cause hair loss?
In fact, for many people, one of the most notable effects of smoking is hair loss. Smoking may cause a severe amount of hair loss or thinning for some people. It completely changes your entire look.
We must say that this significant change in appearance affects our confidence. Hence, you must understand how smoking causes hair loss and how it may impact you. Keep reading this post to learn how smoking causes hair loss.
Smokers, scientists, and hair loss patients debate the fact of hair loss regarding smoking. Is there any potential link between hair fall and smoking? However, some people still argue that there is no connection between hair loss and smoking.
There has been extensive research and many case studies that prove the connection between smoking and hair loss. The side effects of smoking go beyond respiratory illness and lung cancer. It also affects hair health in many ways. Smoking affects the hair follicles and leads to hair loss.
It causes oxidative stress and reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. As hair follicle cells are sensitive to oxidative stress, it causes hair loss as the stress level rises.
The harmful chemicals in cigarettes choke up the blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles. This impaired blood flow increases the potential for hair loss or damage. Moreover, the nicotine in cigarettes causes microinflammation of hair follicles, which leads to hair follicle death.
Smoking causes significant damage to the immune system as well. The case of hair loss due to smoking can elevate the risk of bacterial or fungal scalp infections. This bacterial infection is quite difficult to treat. Also, smoking can be responsible for androgenetic alopecia and grey hair.
As you are familiar with the fact that smoking causes hair fall, you must know why hair loss happens due to smoking. Do you think smoking is the primary cause of hair loss? All of us experience hair loss in our daily lives. On average, a person loses around 50 to 150 hair follicles without even noticing.
The hair growth cycle of the hair follicles has three phases; anagen phase (growth), catagen phase (shedding), and tellogen phase (resting). When we experience more hair in the resting phase than in the growth phase, you may consider it hair loss. There are various types of hair loss that you may experience.
Smoking can damage the hair follicles and increase the risk of developing hair loss. A case study from 2020 shows the prevalence of early-onset androgenetic alopecia in male smokers and nonsmokers between 20 to 35 years of age.
The research found that 425 out of 500 smokers had some amount of hair loss, while around 200 out of 500 nonsmokers experienced hair loss. Let's know how smoking causes this severe hair loss.
Chemicals present in cigarettes can impact blood circulation and cardiovascular health. Smoking also causes a buildup of plaque in the body vessels, which raises the risk of developing blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. These blood vessels nourish the hair follicles and allow the delivery and elimination of waste. Impaired blood flow to the scalp may lead to hair loss or hair damage.
Smoking increases the body's production of free radicals. These are molecules that easily react to other molecules in the body and cause damage to the DNA cells. Thus, oxidative stress may cause hair loss. It occurs when there is an excessive amount of free radical activity in the body. Tobacco smoke, UV rays, radiation, and pollution can cause oxidative stress.
Smoking may cause other changes in the body that contribute to hair loss. Some of the factors include;
To be honest, there is no precise number of cigarettes that cause hair loss. Studies show that smokers almost always have an increased severity of male pattern baldness compared to non-smokers. One study in the UK observed two identical male twins. One of them was a heavy smoker, and the other was a non-smoker.
The study discovered that smoking caused hair loss and balding in the person who was addicted to cigarettes, while the other brother had healthy hair. Another study from Italy showed that at least ten cigarettes per day can increase the risk of severe alopecia.
We already know that the toxic chemicals found in tobacco have an adverse effect on overall health. Besides hair loss, smoking may affect hair follicles in other ways as well. Some of the significant effects are;
Premature hair greying: It is a significant impact of smoking that is visible in smokers aged 25 to 30.
Lung cancer: Smoking increases the chances of cancer. Only quitting smoking can save you from the chances of lung cancer.
Worse heart health: Besides affecting hair health, toxic chemicals in cigarettes cause a buildup of plaque in the heart. It increases the risk of heart disease. Breaking the smoking habit can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Once you quit smoking, your body will heal itself. The damage to the lungs slowly reverses. However, in the case of hair loss, there is no medical proof that quitting smoking can restore the lost hair. But you will definitely get healthy hair back once you quit smoking. The hair will become full, thick, and oily again. But the lost hair follicles won't grow back. You need to go through certain treatments to regrow the lost hair.
Quitting smoking can decrease the level of radicals and cytokines and minimize their harmful impact. Also, the level of estrogen increases, which helps your hair grow back stronger and thicker. You can also notice an increase in the blood flow to the hair follicles. It improves the overall health of the hair and reduces hair loss.
When you smoke cigarettes, chemicals travel from the lungs into the blood. The blood carries these chemicals to other parts of the body and negatively impacts overall health. For various reasons, smoking is responsible for hair loss. Quitting smoking must help you achieve a limited amount of hair regrowth and positively impact your overall health.
* * Medical Disclaimer - The following information is for educational purposes only. No information provided on this website, including text, graphic, and images, are intended as substitutes for professional medical advice. Please consult with your doctor about specific medical advice pertaining to your condition(s).
