Smoking & Hair Loss - Major Causes & Recovery for Men & Women

Smoking - besides causing cancer- generates smoke genotoxic agents that damage the DNA of hair follicles and lead to hair loss in men as well as women. Scientists have already confirmed that smoking accelerates premature greying and thinning of hair. Those who want to understand hair loss, let’s quickly go through the basic facts:

 

Hair growth consists of 4 cycles: the growth (anagen) phase, the transitional (catagen) phase, the resting (telogen) phase and the shedding (exogen) phase. If any stage is interrupted, hair will fall!

 

In this blog, Lordhair’s hair experts will explain how smoking causes hair loss and how you can avoid further damaging your hair. Let’s start by going through smoking triggered causes of hair loss:

 

Smoking triggered hair loss causes

 

Because hair loss can happen for a vast range of reasons, let’s isolate the ones that are purely related to or supported quickened by smoking. Here are three surprising ways smoking and hair loss are related:

 

Poor blood circulation

 

Hair follicles generate hair. They need fresh air, good minerals and nutrients to produce good quality hair. By tolling on circulation and shrinking blood vessels, smoking reduces blood flow in your body. When hair follicles are devoid of blood and nutrients, they are unable to produce hair at the same pace as earlier. Even if by chance new hair appears, they will be weak and tend to breakage.

 

 

Vulnerable immune system

 

A weak immune system is just like an unshielded territory which can be easily penetrated by enemies. In our body, weakened ability to fight diseases will attract foreign bodies to host over your scalp and develop bacterial or fungal infections.

 

Nicotine slows down metabolism by giving the feeling of relaxation. But it is actually the heart that slows and you feel dizzy. Smoking may look stylish & feel relaxing but it’s costing your hair as well as health. Stop smoking to make hair loss reversible!

 

Genetic triggers

 

It has been found that smoking can exacerbate genetic hair loss. Research has also proven that pollution can trigger irreversible hair loss in some men and women. Now you must be wondering that everyone is exposed to pollution equally. Well, the answer is no. If you regularly some in a closed room or car, you are taking in more carcinogens filled air which obstructs the mechanisms that produce the protein of which hair is made.

 

Harmful toxins released in form of smoke and ash contribute to pollutants and in one or the other way, affect other life forms on the planet too.

 

Increased DHT

DHT, better known as Dihydrotestosterone, is an androgen that gives men their male characteristics. Smoking causes the normal testosterone to convert into DHT and let them flow freely throughout the bloodstream. Once DHT links to receptors on hair follicles in the scalp, it causes them to shrink and makes them less capable of supporting a healthy head of hair.

Increased DHT levels caused by cigarettes may trigger receding hairline and pattern baldness among men as well as women. So, if you want to reverse hair loss associated with smoking, kick the cigarette butt today!

Increased oil secretion

According to dermatologists, nicotine in tobacco can disrupt the body's dopamine system to stimulate the secretion of dopamine. For those who don’t know, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that promotes the excretion of adrenaline in humans, which helps create the feeling of excitement and pleasure.

When the secretion of adrenaline increases in the body, it automatically stimulates the secretion of oil in the scalp. This severely blocks hair follicles and makes them unable to breathe. Increased head oil not only affects metabolism but also disrupts the environment that perfect for hair growth, setting up the ground for future hair loss.

 

Above are the ways in which smoking and hair loss is related. Before proceeding to smoking triggered hair loss recovery, we urge you to quit smoking now! We know it’s not that easy to quit but we promise the effort will be worth it & reverse hair loss.

 

Still not convinced with our argument of quitting smoking? Here are 10 worst diseases caused by smoking:

 

1. Smoking is number one cause of lung diseases
2. One out of 5 heart attacks are due to smoking
3. Type 2 diabetes is a result of smoking
4. Smoking brings the risk of liver cancer
5. Smoking builds up plaque in the arteries and reduce blood flow
6. Vision loss can be due to smoking
7. Tuberculosis is a gift of smoking
8. Second hand smoke kills even the non-smokers, and they can be your family members
9. Smoking leads to thicker blood clots and causes brain strokes
10. Smoking also creates cervical cancer

 

These 10 reasons must be enough to get you off your smoking routine forever.

 

 

At Lordhair, we work for bringing out the best version of you, whether through our hair guides or hair systems. What is lost can’t be recovered, but what you have can be retained. Hair are precious, make each strand count.

 

Smoking hair loss recovery – Get started

 

Overcoming tobacco addiction isn’t easy. American Cancer Association’s research found that smokers are most successful at kicking the habit when they have support. Here’s what you can do to quit smoking and prevent your hair follicles from further damage:

 

Counselling- Visiting a counsellor is a good when you decide to quit smoking. A counsellor will lend support during your fight against nicotine and stop you from quitting.

 

Nicotine replacement products- Nicotine gums and body patches check the craving to smoke and are a good alternative for those who smoke often & struggle with quitting.

Prescription medicine- If you want to seek medical help, that’s fine as well. There are medications available in the market that helps recover from smoking. Here is a list of medications!

Stop-smoking groups- A group effort is sometimes better than an individual one. Seeing others fight smoke craving, you will be motivated and quit the habit leading to hair loss and other diseases.

Guide books- Sometimes distraction works as a therapy. Reading books smoking recovery is a side-effect free way to quit nicotine and live a health life.

Family support- Family and friends can provide the support mechanism required to quit smoking. With their support, you can quit smoking and prevent hair damage.

 

Use hair systems – If your hair loss is extreme, then, using hair systems is a cost effective way to fight baldness. Looking at your balding head often triggers stress which accelerates the problem of hair fall. Using hair system will give you confidence until your real hair comes back!

 

Be the better you! Say no to smoking and yes to custom hair systems for men & women.

 

 

Fight smoking triggered hair loss

 

While above points will help you understand hair loss and also fight it, maintaining a good health and diet is also really important. Add meat, fish, eggs and fibre rich foods to your diet. Stay hydrated throughout the day, and especially in summers since hair loss is rampant on this season. A healthy scalp will produce healthy hair; make sure you give it proper nutrients to support hair growth.

 

Don’t let smoking take away your precious hair! Pledge to stop nicotine consumption via cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Make a fresh start by quitting smoking today.

 

Follow Lordhair on Instagram for hair advice, latest hairstyles, and hair colour trends!