Smoking tobacco can lead to a slew of serious health effects, including lung cancer, gum disease, and breathing problems. If you don’t want to deal with these illnesses for the rest of your life, it’s time to consider a lifestyle change. Besides, there are other negative effects of smoking as well. But can smoking cause hair loss?
Can Smoking Cause Hair Loss?
For example, can smoking cause hair loss? What about tooth loss? Unfortunately, there is a huge connection between smoking and pattern baldness. Our Denver Hair Surgery experts can help you further understand the negative effects of tobacco on your hair.
How Exactly Does Smoking Cause Hair Loss?
A recent health study revealed a shocking connection between smoking and onset pattern baldness. Both men and women are at risk of losing hair on their scalp due to consistent smoking. The study further showed that not only is there a connection between smoking and pattern baldness, but consuming tobacco can actually make the stages of pattern baldness advance more quickly.
If you are a smoker, you may be at a bigger risk of hair loss even if you are young and in otherwise good health. Your hair can start thinning prematurely as the toxic chemicals in tobacco make it difficult for follicles to thrive.
Ways Tobacco Affects Your Scalp
Tobacco smoke, pollution, radiation, and excessive ultraviolet rays can all have a very negative impact on your head and hair. Some of the biggest ways that smoking can cause hair loss include:
- Reduced blood flow to your follicles. This can result in blood clots near your scalp and the inability to produce new hair. More serious cases can even lead to a stroke.
- Increased production of free radicals. These are molecules in your body that interact with many different types of molecules; the wrong type of interaction can permanently damage your DNA.
- Increased enzyme levels. Enzymes control the way your tissues regrow and remodel themselves when you go through your cycle of hair growth. Too many enzymes can disrupt this natural cycle, causing your hair to fall out without growing back.
There are other correlations between smoking tobacco and hair loss as well. Too many harmful chemicals and substances can interact with your body in negative ways, causing permanent damage to your hair and scalp.
Can Smoking-Related Hair Loss Be Reversed?
The only way it is possible to treat the effects of tobacco-related hair loss is to first quit smoking altogether. Your body’s habits play a huge role in your ability to recover and reshape yourself, so a lifestyle change might be the best solution to helping you grow back a full head of hair.
A viable next step is to speak with your hair surgery experts about the best option for treating your damaged follicles and encouraging your scalp to grow new hair. While some parts of your scalp may be damaged beyond repair, there are several different treatment methods available to regrow your hair and get your body back into the habit of a natural growth cycle.
Stop Smoking and Save Your Scalp Today!
At Denver Hair Surgery, we understand how difficult it can be to break old habits while investing in new ones. It’s frustrating trying to deal with hair loss while you combat the effects of other adverse symptoms. If you are struggling to save your scalp and quit smoking, it’s time to turn to an expert for help.
Sign up for a one-on-one consultation with our Denver Hair Surgery professionals and invest in a treatment that will set your scalp on the path to regrowth. Through hair follicle replacement surgery, it is possible to get back a full head of hair so you can feel good about yourself again. Check out our website for other important hair loss FAQs and get in touch with us to schedule your appointment today!
