How smoking leads to hair loss

 

Smoking cigarettes can have a damaging effect on your hair and your hairline.

Your hair requires oxygen, nutrients and minerals to be healthy but, smoking can prevent these nutrients from reaching your hair follicles.

Cigarettes contain 7000 chemicals and, 70 of them are carcinogenic; it is no wonder that cigarettes can lead to hair loss.

Smoking releases toxic chemicals that affect blood circulation, shrink blood vessels, and stop hair follicles from receiving the blood they need for growth.

Arash Babadjouni, a doctor in Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine together with other researchers carried out a study on mice to see if exposure to cigarette smoke would cause alopecia (a condition that causes your hair to fall out) and premature grey hairs.

Different studies revealed that smoking is related to alopecia. The majority of smokers were diagnosed with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia.

Cigarette smoke contains free radicals. Free radicals are harmful molecules that can damage your cell’s DNA and cause oxidative stress. Research has shown that hair on balding scalps is sensitive to oxidative stress and that a damaged DNA cell affects hair growth.

Smoking also affects the circulation of blood in your body and causes your blood vessels to be blocked by plaque, (a clot like substance that blocks blood flow to your arteries).