Smoking Increases Risk of Hair Loss

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Smoking Increases Risk of Hair Loss

Friday, November 30th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Men who smoke are likely to lose their hair at a younger age than men who do not smoke.According to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Dermatology journal, men have higher risks of male pattern baldness if they smoke, and the risks increase with smoking intensity. Dr. William Rassman, medical director and founder of the New Hair Institute in Los Angeles, said smoking constricts blood vessels, which impedes the circulation of vital nutrients to the scalp.

“We’ve known for some time that smoking reduces circulation to the scalp, as it does to other parts of the body,” Rassman said. “Is it enough to affect the micro-circulation within the hair follicle? We don’t know.”

The study collected data from 740 men between the ages of 40 and 91 years old. Researchers from the Far Eastern memorial hospital in Taiwan compared data from the smokers to a control group of nonsmokers. Both groups included a wide age range of men, some with family histories of hair loss, to rule out family history and age as risk factors for baldness. By doing this, the researchers were able to get a clearer idea of the risk of smoking as a single factor.

“You try to reduce as many variables as you can,” Rassman said. “I believe that’s a reasonable way to do it.” The researchers found statistically significant associations between hair loss and the men’s smoking statuses and smoking frequencies.