Does Smoking Cause Hair Loss?
In addition to the obvious health risks associated with smoking, aesthetic effects may impact people who smoke without even realizing it, such as darkening the skin.
Smoking can harm our skin, teeth, and even our hair, which may come as a shock to some.
Another concern for active smokers is that they experience hairline receding or baldness; in this case, giving up smoking is a thing that can be done to protect your hair follicles.
How Does Smoking Lead to Hair Loss?
Hazardous materials such as ammonia, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, and formaldehyde are well-known to those familiar with them.
Tobacco smoking produces a wide range of chemicals, including those listed above. They may cause hair loss in the following manner when combined:
- Cortisol Levels Are Increased Through Smoking
Nicotine could end up causing your cortisol levels to rise over time when you're a long-term nicotine addict.
Proteoglycan and hyaluronan, which seem essential for hair follicle formation, may be damaged by this buildup. Telogen androgenetic alopecia and effluvium can also occur as a result of tension.
- Smoking is Linked to Endocrine Diseases
Tobacco smoking could lead to Grave's hyperthyroidism, an endocrine system disorder in which the thyroid generates excessive hormone amounts.
Hair loss is a possibility as a result of this situation. Another known lead to hair loss is diabetes, associated with other endocrine disorders like smoking.
Smoking Leads to Oxidative Stress
Cigarette smoking causes lipid peroxidation, which happens when the oxidative stress caused by the smoke affects the lipids that makeup living cells, including hair cells. This is something to be aware of. When free radicals attack lipids, a process known as lipid peroxidation occurs, resulting in cell death.
- Tobacco Smoke May Effect Immune Response
The tobacco industry takes the inflammatory and immunosuppressive consequences of tobacco smoking extremely seriously. Smoking causes the body to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
Smoking cigarettes also reduces the efficacy of your immunity T-cells, T-helper cells, B-cells, and other cells. Both androgenetic alopecia and the more prevalent alopecia areata are autoimmune diseases caused by smoking tobacco.
How to Treat Smoking-Related Hair Loss?
Androgenetic alopecia areata and Alopecia areata are two severe forms of hair loss that may be aggravated by smoking. The following may be utilized to alleviate its effects:
- Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids for topical application are available in creams, gels, ointments, and foams. Alopecia areata can also be treated with oral corticosteroids, which are just as efficient.
Giving up smoking might not enable hair regrowth, but it can stop further baldness, even if the evidence isn't there.
- Finasteride
Finasteride can be administered orally. Regular usage of Finasteride is required to achieve hair regrowth. This medication prevents DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, from turning testosterone into DHT.
- Minoxidil
Minoxidil, whether in a fluid or adhesive formulation, might help with hair loss when applied topically. A vasodilator is purely a substance that expands blood vessels in an area where they are implemented. Encouraging hair growth leads to enhanced blood circulation to the area. Even though its method of action is uncertain, minoxidil may pull your hair out of its dormant (telogen) stage before it falls out completely. The idea here is to start the anagen stage of development ahead of time. See below for a plant based alternative.
The Takeaway
Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that can enter the bloodstream through the respiratory system. Chemical compounds in your blood carry them to other areas of the body, which can cause a wide range of health issues.
Hair follicle DNA is assumed to be damaged, and the bloodstream to the head decreased due to smoking's effect on hair thinning. If you want to see some hair growth and improve your overall well being, you should consider giving up smoking.
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