The side effects of smoking are still the same but many aren’t as spoken about and are most likely forgotten about because they aren’t as major in the sector of health and well-being. However, this might actually be a factor that people would make them stop, and although it sounds silly, I personally would not want to lose my hair and for some reason, when it could affect people’s physical appearance, especially men, it might be enough of a determinant to persuade people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
What Does Smoking Do to Your Hair?
Smoking causes oxidative stress and reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. Since they are sensitive to this, hair loss is expected to happen when your stress levels rise. So while you think the cause of your hair loss might be stress, the trigger was smoking.
Cigarettes are full of toxic chemicals that clog up your blood vessels, which are responsible for delivering oxygen to your hair follicles. Through smoking, you are potentially suffocating or withholding oxygen and nutrients from being passed on to your hair, causing your hair to either stop growing or fall out.
Additionally, nicotine can cause microinflammation of the follicles and desensitisation of receptors. This can sadly lead to follicle death, which can potentially contribute to conditions such as alopecia or general hair loss.
Your immune system also takes a hit when you smoke, which can lead to getting sick more frequently and some illnesses that can cause hair loss.
Overall, there are many ways smoking can affect your hair and trigger underlying conditions, and there is no saying what could happen if you become a regular smoker. So, is it worth the risk?
How Many Cigarettes a Day?
There’s no precise limit; it’s not like one cigarette a day and you’re unscathed from the effects. However, studies have shown that smokers always have an increased severity of male pattern baldness compared to non-smokers.
In a UK study, Mosley and Gibbs looked at two identical male twins, one of whom smoked heavily and the other did not. It was found that one of the twins, who was addicted to cigarettes, had balding and hair loss from smoking, while the other twin’s hair was healthy.
Another important study from Italy by Fortes et al. revealed that heavy smokers with a daily cigarette consumption of at least ten were more likely to develop severe alopecia.
How do I Stop Smoking?
There are a few tips to stop smoking and strive towards a happy, healthy life while keeping all your hair.
- Hold yourself accountable: It is easy to deflect and blame everyone else or other things but at the end of the day, it’s all about self-control.
- For nicotine replacement therapy, try alternatives to wean yourself off, like nicopods and nicotine patches.
- Exercise: scientific research suggests that moving your body can help with the urges naturally.
- Avoid triggers: You are more likely to fall back on your goals to quit if you are around things that evoke those cravings.
Last Thoughts
Smoking’s impact on hair loss is an often overlooked yet significant consequence. From reduced blood flow to inflammation, smoking suffocates hair follicles, stunts growth and invites alopecia. Quitting becomes crucial. Strategies like killa nicopods offer hope for breaking free, safeguarding health and preserving the mane.