Most people are aware of how tobacco smoking can affect the body. They know it can cause lung cancer, mouth ulcers, depression, and respiratory illness. Tobacco has thousands of harmful chemicals with some known for causing cancer. However, the negative health effects of smoking are not limited to these as it can also cause hair loss and most people don’t know. While it is not well-known why smoking is associated with hair loss, it is believed that there are numerous contributing factors. Let’s understand more about the relationship between hair loss and smoking.
How Smoking Contributes To Hair Loss
Smoking destroys hair follicles thus increasing the chances of hair loss. Nicotine and related chemicals increase acceleration of hair loss. Study shows that smokers are likely to get early onset baldness compared to non-smokers. It also causes oxidative stress that slows down blood flow to the hair follicles, contributing to premature hair loss.
Oxidative Stress
When you smoke for a long time, the body increased release of free radicals. They are molecules that react easily to other body fragment, potentially damaging the DNA cells. Your body experiences oxidative stress after being exposed to pollution, radiation or tobacco smoke. It ends up producing excess free radical that lead to hair loss. Tobacco has toxic chemicals responsible for ruing hair follicles DNA cells.
Reduced Blood Flow
Tobacco chemicals impact blood circulation. It also increases buildup of plaque in blood vessels, increasing the risk of some health conditions such as stroke, blood clots and stroke. Your hair grows because the blood vessels nourish the follicles, eliminates waste, and delivers nutrients. When the blood vessels become impaired, this increases the threat of hair damage and hair loss.
Overall Health Effects of Smoking
It is evident that toxic chemicals in tobacco have significant negative effects on your health. Apart from hair loss smoking can affect hair follicles in other ways.
It can cause premature hair greying. Most smokers hair grey faster than non-smokers’ hair. Most people who have smoked for long are likely to have grey hair even before the age of 30.
It causes cardiovascular problems. While they damage hair, chemicals in tobacco lead to plaque buildup in heart and increase the threat of heart disease. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce this threat.
It causes cancer. Quitting smoking is beneficial to your health and can lower the risk of cancer. If you are a heavy smoker, hair thinning should be your least worry in this case.
Ways to Quit Smoking
Nicotine replacement therapy is among the proven methods to help deal with smoking withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine patches, and inhalers are some forms of replacement therapy that involves reducing nicotine intake. Nicotine pouches are easy to access and you can buy Zyns online or from pharmacies to help you with your cravings.
You can also use prescription drugs such as Zyban and Chantix.
Avoiding smoking triggers and environments is another effective ways of staying smoke-free.
While lesser-known, hair loss is among the effects of smoking. Smoking interferes with blood vessels that take blood and nutrients to hair follicles thus damaging them and causing hair loss. It also leads to early onset of hair greying due to destroyed follicles. It causes oxidative stress, thus the release of free radicals that potential damage hair follicle DNA cells. Quitting smoking can help reverse hair loss and prevent you from risk of other health conditions.
