The Relationship Between Smoking and Hair Loss

We’ve mentioned various caused of hair loss in previous blog posts. It’s been established that heredity can cause hair loss, and so can hormonal changes, adverse health conditions, chemotherapy, certain medications, and nutritional deficiencies. But what about smoking? There’s been scientific speculation about the affects of smoking on the health of you hair and the hair follicles that’s worth addressing. The team at our New York City hair transplant surgery center would like to look at the link between smoking and hair loss to see if there’s something to it.

Now obviously smoking is bad for your health in general, increasing your risk for developing different sorts of cancers, heat disease, and respiratory problems. Numerous studies have shown that smoking will also increase the risk of hair loss as well. A study in 2007 conducted in Taiwan revealed that men who smoke were more likely to lost their hair than men who didn’t smoke. (This is a significant finding since Asian men have lower rates of hereditary baldness than other ethnic groups.)

In addition to this finding, a study whose results were released in 2008 showed that smoking made it more likely for men and women to go prematurely gray. As to why the premature graying and the hair loss occurs, it’s suggested in these studies that the various toxins and harmful agents in cigarette smoke are absorbed into the body and can do damage to the hair follicles (as well as other parts of the body, of course).

So if you are experiencing male or female hair loss in New York, what can you do? There are plenty of options to consider, and we’d be happy to help you meet your needs. As far as non-surgical treatments go, there are hairpieces that can be quite natural-looking and helpful, and topical and oral medications have proven quite effective for many patients. For the best results and to have a full head of natural hair, however, your best bet is to undergo hair transplant surgery.

For more information on what your can do to prevent balding or how you can regrow your own hair, be sure to contact our New York City hair transplant surgery center today. We look forward to hearing from you.