Smoking is the cause of many both physical and mental health problems. It also affects your appearance such as yellow teeth, dull skin, even hair loss. Does smoking cause hair loss? Some people think it is true, but others do not. So, let’s find the answer with Lewigs today. We would like to give you some interesting information to prove that smoking can lead to hair loss. Therefore, if smoking is one of your daily habits, you should stop it as soon as you can to protect not only your hair but also your general health.
Table of Contents
Does Smoking Cause Hair Loss?
According to many studies, the answer to “does cigarette smoking cause hair loss” is yes. To be specific, two studies conducted in 2003 and 2007 have the same conclusion which is that smoking is one reason for hair loss. Not only cigarettes but also weed/marijuana can contribute to hair loss.
How Does Smoking Cause Hair Loss?
In this part, let’s see how smoking causes hair loss. We will divide this part into two small points which are direct way and indirect ways.
Other issues:
- Is Nioxin Scalp Treatment An Viable Solution For Hair Loss?
- Is Alcohol To Blame For Hair Loss? Myths Debunked!
- Does Vitamin Deficiency Entail Hair Loss? How To Deal With It?
Smoking Cause Hair Loss Directly
Firstly, two main components of tobacco are nicotine and caffeine which have a negative impact on hair. More seriously, during smoking, nicotine can damage hair follicles which play an important role in producing hair fibers in a regular cycle. It means that hair follicles ensure new hair development. Therefore, the more damaged they are, the more hair loss you will get. Moreover, damaged hair follicles lead to a higher secretion of androgen, resulting in hair loss.
Secondly, as we have mentioned above, healthy hair follicles help create strong new hair. To do this mission, hair follicles need oxygen, nutrients, and minerals. Unfortunately, nicotine in a cigarette can shrink blood vessels, leading to blood circulation disorders and impedes blood flow. Therefore, hair follicles cannot receive enough nutrients to grow hair. After that, the hair will be weak and fall quickly.
Thirdly, tobacco can help people feel relaxed and excited by promoting the secretion of adrenaline in humans. However when the secretion of adrenaline increases, it will make more secretion of oil in the scalp. It is not good news because, at that time, hair follicles cannot breathe the air. Again, hair follicles are not healthy anymore, leading to regular hair loss.
Fourthly, have you ever thought that smoking harms the environment? Yes, it has. It badly affects the environment due to its substances such as smoke and soot generated. In addition, what will surprise you is that these pollutants can also be harmful to your hair because the cigarette smoke can destroy the pH of the scalp. If you cannot maintain the healthy pH level of your scalp, hair loss will surely occur.
Finally, DHT is a male steroid hormone that is responsible for hair loss, even baldness by shrinking hair follicles. Smoking increases the production of DHT in the body, making hair loss condition more serious.
Smoking Cause Hair Loss Indirectly
In America, smoking kills more people than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns, etc. There is an obvious relation between smoking and health diseases. People often think that cigarettes cause lung cancer only, but it is a wrong thought. Many studies concluded that smoking harms nearly every organ of the body such as lungs, blood vessels, heart, mouth, skin, eyes, and bones as well can be damaged by smoking. Therefore, your immune system will be weaker due to smoking. Hair loss is a sign of an unhealthy body. Too many health problems will lead to hair loss. This is the indirect way that smoking makes your hair fall faster.
Why People Smoke And How To Get Rid Of Smoking?
We know bad effects on the health of smoking and even we put a small paper on cigarette box writing “Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer”. However, smokers still ignore it all and continue using it. Sadly, most smokers start smoking during the teenage period. They do it because they see their friends or parents smoke, they see the actors in films or idols smoke, or they think that it is a cool action. Once you smoke, it is easy to be addicted. Cigarettes contain nicotine which creates mental or emotional dependence on smokers (like heroin or cocaine). Therefore, although smokers know the harmful effects, they find it hard to stop smoking.
It is difficult to quit smoking just after one or two days. It will take you time to give up smoking completely. Firstly, make a list of smoking bad effects: smoking causes health problems, your children will smoke like you, others around you will get health diseases from your smoke, etc. Then, you should tell people who smoke to not smoke around you because you will stop smoking. If they are also trying to give up smoking, do it together. Besides, try to drink juice and water or chew gum to forget the feeling of being urged to smoke. Moreover, you can do exercise like walking and take a deep breath to reduce cigarette cravings. The most important thing you should have is your patience and your belief in yourself. It is difficult, but you can do it.
Read more:
- Saw Palmetto For Hair Loss – Is It The Right Strategy?
- Attention-Grabbing Ways To Hormonal Hair Loss
- Dutasteride For Hair Loss: Is It A Feasible Solution?
If you still wonder does smoking cause hair loss, we can tell you that it is the truth. We hope that after reading our article today, you can see the negative effects of smoking and stop doing it to protect your health, including your hair. Stop smoking is also to protect others’ health. Additionally, to have beautiful hair, it is essential to have a healthy diet by providing enough nutrients to your daily meals, especially vitamins and minerals. You also should avoid using hair styling devices and hot water. One more thing can cause hair loss is alcohol, so please stop drinking it. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let us know. We will try our best to answer them quickly. We also have other hair care topics on Lewigs blog, so please read them carefully.
