We know that genetics can be one of the most significant factors contributing to hair loss. However, other things can influence the severity of that hair loss, especially over long periods. One of those is cigarette smoking. How do nicotine cigarettes cause hair loss? They can affect it in several ways.
Poor Circulation
It’s well documented that nicotine causes poor circulation that worsens the longer you’ve been smoking. Because the hair follicles rely on the oxygen and nutrients in your blood to create robust and healthy hair, having poor circulation can cause hair loss or even worsen hair loss that has already started.
Weakened Immune System
Nicotine often leaves your immune system weak and more vulnerable to illness and infection. This includes your skin and scalp. Infections of the scalp, especially fungal infections, can have a lasting effect on overall hair loss.
Oxidative Stress
Oxidation causes free radicals to form in the body. An excess of these free radicals may damage the DNA of nearby cells, causing them to function incorrectly. Hair follicles, therefore, can stop working correctly as well, leading to hair thinning or hair loss. Oxidative stress linked to cigarettes has been linked to many serious health problems.
Damaging Cytokines
Cytokines are proteins found within the body that promote inflammation or swelling. They are a necessary part of your body’s defense system, used when fighting off illness or healing from injury. However, smoking cigarettes causes an overproduction of cytokines, leading to unnecessary inflammation that damages cells in the body instead of protecting them.
Environmental Pollution
Pollution in the air around us affects our skin, eyes and even our hair. Much of the pollution we are exposed to is outside our control, such as living in a crowded city or during a natural disaster like a forest fire. Cigarettes essentially create their own environmental pollution when exhaling toxic air. When breathed by others, we refer to it as second-hand smoke, but it could also be affecting you first-hand as environmental pollution.
If you are experiencing hair thinning or hair loss and cigarette smoking could be to blame, the first step is quitting. The next is to find out what options you have in reversing the damage to your natural hair. Contact Kalos Hair Restoration to book your consultation today.
