We know that smoking can cause many health problems and physical changes, such as lung cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, yellowing nails and teeth and so on. Smoking is one of the reasons for a lot of health problems, but does smoking cause the loss of hair?
Scientists have long speculated that cigarette smoke will accelerate hair loss. This association is mainly due to toxins in the smoke that damage hair follicles and hormones. According to a survey of 743 males in Taiwan with an average age of 65Â , it was found that smokers had a higher rate of hair loss, a risk that increased with increasing smoking.
So how does smoking affect hair loss? According to a number of scientific studies, there are several surprising ways cigarette smoke can trigger hair loss.
- Damaged Hair Follicles
The main components of tobacco are: nicotine, caffeine, acetone, aluminum, ammonia/amonia, arsenic, benzene, butane, cadmium, tellurium, carbon monoxide, goroside and cyanide/cyanide. Among these ingredients, nicotine and caffeine have the greatest impact on hair. It is concluded that nicotine can damage hair follicles during smoking, which not only affects the circulation of blood and hormones in the scalp, but also increases the secretion of androgen, which leads to hair loss.
 
- Poor Blood Circulation
Hair follicles need oxygen, nutrients and minerals to produce healthy hair. Nicotine in tobacco can shrink blood vessels, which in turn causes blood circulation disorders and impedes blood flow. When the hair follicles don’t get enough nourishment they’re forced to go into the resting stage of their cycle, which then leads to them fall out.
- Increased DHT
DHT is an androgen that helps to give men male traits. It is believed that DHT will shrink hair follicles, leading to hair loss in men. Cigarettes increase the production of DHT in the body, leading to an increased chance of hair loss and a receding hairline.
 
- Increased Head Oil Secretion
Nicotine in tobacco can stimulate the body’s dopamine system to accelerate the secretion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that promotes the secretion of adrenaline in humans, which can cause excitement. When the secretion of adrenaline increases, it will increase the secretion of oil in the scalp, thereby severely blocking the hair follicle, making the hair follicle unable to breathe the air. This can affect your metabolism and disrupt the environment in which your hair grows, eventually causing hair loss.
- Damaged Scalp Environment
Most of the harmful substances such as smoke and soot generated during smoking are alkaline and contain a lot of harmful substances. But our scalp is weakly acidic. Smoking for a long time, the smoke dust covering will destroy the pH of the scalp and finally affect hair growth.
Bottom Line
So, does smoking cigarettes cause hair loss? The fact of the matter is that smoking has an ill effect on your body internally. It affects your body on a cellular level. Therefore, directly or indirectly, it could be a cause of hair loss. If you notice that your hair is thinning or even falling out, try to quit smoking.