| Author | Message | ||
     Clodhopper |
I'm from South Carolina. I think everyone started smoking down there even before they were teenagers. Many people have been telling me that my hair loss could be connected to my smoking. I tend to believe them. What are the reasons? How does smoking affect hair growth? It would have to be a strong case before I'd give up smoking. I would like some strong incentive though to give me the courage to give up this nasty habit. I tend to get angry at people who give me reasons to give up and I also get angry at myself because I can't. | ||
| Hillbilly |
Clodhopper, (an appropriate name) Smoking is a nasty habit. Only two things that I can think of why it might foster hair loss. First, smoking constricts the capillaries in the skin. Capillaries nourish the hair follicles. Therefore if the capillaries are constricted, this will impede the flow of nutrients to the follicles. Second, smoking depletes the store of some of the vitamins in the body like vitamin C. This might have an effect on skin health and hence on hair follicle health. I hope this helps. It certainly didn't help me. I still smoke even though I know it's killing me. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Very little to add to that. Smoking does constrict peripheral blood vessels. As you can see in the drawing of the hair follicle on my Web site, there is a network of capillaries surrounding the base of the follicle. When these capillaries become constricted they deprive the follicles of the nutrients they need. They need especially the amino acids which are the building blocks of keratin, the tough protein of which the hair is composed. The hair follicles also need vitamins like biotin and other members of the B complex, and minerals like copper, sulfer, zinc, iron, perhaps silica. Healthy capillaries deliver these nutrients to the follicles. Clodhopper and Hillbilly, I wish I had something persuasive to say to get you to give up smoking. I know, though, that if I were a smoker I wouldn't like any hair guru preaching to me about giving up anything. | ||
| Anonymous |
how does this fall in place with marijuana use? same? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: People who use marijuana don't usually don't smoke the equivalent of two packs a day. I don't think a hit once in a while will do damage to the hair follicles. Of course if you overdo it, you'll lose all your hair by sundown. | ||
| kilimanjaro |
I knew many people in college with the best hair who smoked pot all the time. Have you heard of someone named Bob Marley? Have you heard about a culture called Rastafarianism in which they smoke dope by the hour and yet have hair that is longer and stronger than a woman's? If anything, dope should relax you, reduce your urges to masturbate, play sports, be violent and do any testosterone intensive things that "might" lead to hair loss. Ok, sports, masturbation and violence are probably not causing hair loss and I don't want to be corrected by anyone, but they are much more likely to cause hair loss than use of drugs such as marijuana or even heroin and cocaine. Haven't you also seen guys who drink and smoke like a chminey and yet have the best hair? My supervisor at work is a perfect example.. although he does have a weight problem :-) Many celebrities who look great have recently been going to rehab clinins including that Baywatch/Knight Rider guy, Matthew Perry, Meg Ryan's former husband who has a six pack in his fifties(?) (I forget names of these people since I am high on cocaine right now...) etc... End of debate... marijuana is harmless to hair and enjoy it as much as you want. It is just a plant man!! | ||
| Kilimanjaro |
By the way, I don't smoke or take any drugs... and guess what... I am having the earliest hair loss problem among any members of my family. My dad actually has better hair than me as of this moment... which I am not very happy about. Also, ever ntoice that more women smoke in offices in America than men? And none of these women tends to be bald? In my office, there is one noticeably balding woman, and she goes for more nature walks than anyone else! She is also well off and eats healthy + never smokes! Go figure.... Smoking will NOT caurse hair loss, but it sure eats away money that could be used for Propecia, Dutasteride, or future expensive hair transplants/cloning/ multiplication techniques. Don't smoke for a week and instead buy Tom Hagerty's CD with the savings. Even if it doesn't help you, it is really cool and Tom is one cool dude. It is better than renting videos from Blockbuster and then returning them. And another small insignificant thing: smoking might kill you and harm others nearby. But of course your hair will be there with you when you are lying in you grave :-) | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Kilimanjaro: Your message cries out for me to do some heavy plagiarism. I know I'm eventually going to use "testosterone intensive things" and "dope should relax you" without attribution. Your key concept, though, I am definitely going to copyright - "Don't smoke for a week and instead buy Tom Hagerty's CD with the savings." This makes perfect sense. Bob Marley? I've been a guitarist all my life. When I lived on the beach in Venice, CA a long time ago I used to play (and try to sing) some of his songs. There were actually some Rastafarians, all very serious, in venice at that time. About ten years ago I had to walk through Uptown to get to the Chicago Loop train. The bars in Uptown open early so they can cash the checks of the temporary workers. These guys often like a few drinks before they go to work. I noticed that the big drinkers usually had good hair. Did you know that alcohol consumption reduces testosterone levels in the blood and that this in turn reduces the production of DHT. I don't know this for a fact, but it sounds like it should be true. Ernest Hemingway, by the way, had good hair when he killed himself. Seriously, though, you raised an interesting point about the "noticeably balding woman." New research has indicated a positive correlation between bald women and the good life (wealth, healthful diet, nature walks, no smoking, etc.). Bob Marley could have written a song about this. | ||
| Anonymous |
"Of course if you overdo it, you'll lose all your hair by sundown." why do you say this? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: Don't take me too literally. I have to have a little fun sometimes. | ||
| Anonymous |
haha, thank god. lets just say im not a "every once in a while smoker" if it had come down to it though... anyways, thanks for the info. one more quick question, sorry, not related to this topic. on the radio i hear advertisements about products that stop dht naturally. im no fool, ive been reaised knowing 99.9% of what i hear advertised is false anything like this is not worth my time or money right? thanks again | ||
| Anonymous |
In response to the original question, about smoking affecting hair loss... I have this to say: I noticed my begin of hair loss around the same time that I started to have bad cholesterol. Also notice how many fatter balding people there are, than skinnier and in shape ones. This might suggest that not being in shape (resulting in high cholesterol, etc.) might affect hair loss. Furthermore, this makes sense in a way because of reduced blood flow and other adverse affects of bad cholesterol. So how does smoking affect this? Well, smoking isn't good for your cholesterol. So if high cholesterol has some relationship to baldness, then so will smoking. | ||
| kilimanjaro |
Getting back to part of my original reply to your concern: Have you noticed how many exceedingly fat people have beautiful head hair? Most of these fat blokes also have super bad cholestrol levels(both HDL and LDL). There was a study done which concluded that bald men tend to get heart problems a bit more frequently than full haired men when they reach retirement age, so you do have some logic in your argument. However, all these relationships are somewhat circumspect. It could also be that bald people start becoming depressed, stop taking care of their bodies, become fat and then get heart problems. The relationship can be two-directional if you get what I am trying to say. By the way, I recently went to my endocrinologist to get some tests done, and he was stunned as to how excellent all my cholestrol levels were. I am very sporty and have always had a vegetarian diet. But I am still balding.. Bald people do tend to be fatter and out of shape, but it just might be because they have given up hope of ever looking great. Of the top of my head, fat celebrities with decent hair: 1) Jay Leno (Lat Night host) 2) Tony Siragussa (Baltimore Ravens former player, but he can barely run anymore) 3) John Goodman (Roseanne's husbband on the show) 4) Norm (drunk guy in Cheers) ..and many many more I am sure. Just visit your local bar. Ok fat doesn't always mean bad cholestrol, but in the cases where the guy weighs above 300 pounds, there is usually an almost perfect correlation. Another serious theory of mine - skinny guys tend to have skinnier heads. Therefore, it is a lot easier to cover a lot of the scalp with whatever is left. Nevertheless, most skinny guys these days seem to have balding hair or weird hairstyles that show a lot of scalp. I am constanly amazed to see how many kids in American high schools go bald. It is the emotional stress (i.e., I have to look good and have a girlfriend by the age of 14), bad diet and lack of "good" stress (i.e., will I be able to finish my studies and get a job and feed my children?). Notices how many geeks have nice hair? e.g. Bill Gates. Another thing.. .skinny/fit/low cholestrol people tend to be younger so they are obviously less prone to be very bald. Finally, if cholestrol causes baldness, why not the same for women. Why do more women smoke compared to men, and yet more men go bald?! On average, women also carry more fat then men. Hmmm... too many possibilities.. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: A Japanese dermatologist, Masumi Inaba, wrote a book - Can Human Hair Grow Again? - that proposes the same theory that you have. He claims that when Japanese men ate the traditional diet, low in fat and bad cholesterol, there was little baldness on the islands. Now that Japanese men are eating foods like red meat and rich pastries they are becoming bald in great numbers. Japanese men living away from the centers of wealth like Tokyo still have thick hair because they eat fish, rice, and vegetables. Dr. Inaba says nothing about smoking. | ||
| kilimanjaro |
Tom, You must be sick of repeating that Japanese example over and over again to newbies! Anyway, I was thinking that even if their is a ling between diet and baldness, that link might be irrelevent if you lead an active and happy lifestyle with limited emotional stress. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Kilimanjaro: You seem to be awash in plausible theories. The "skinny head" theory makes sense - skinny heads are easy to cover. A pinhead would be still easier to cover. "There was a study done which concluded that bald men tend to get heart problems a bit more frequently than full headed men when they reach retirement age..." This study focused just on men with balding in the crown area, not the frontal hairline. You would think that the gods would give the guy with hair loss a break and provide him with a strong heart. But no, he gets a double whammy. I'll have to give that Japanese example a rest for a while. | ||
| Deedee |
Man... all I can say about this whole discussion is LOOK TO ITALY. The whole population smokes, the whole population has thick hair. Smoking and hair loss do not correspond. Smoke away. But sure, eat healthy and exercise too. | ||
| Anonymous |
I'm going to get me a carton right now! | ||
| Anonymous |
uhm .. how can you possibly say "smoke away" .. lol .. smoking deteriorates your lungs and leads to many many other diseases and complications, not to mention yellow teeth .. just my 2 cents .. | ||
| Stella |
I just love men with bald scalps and yeller teeth - I think they look cute. | ||
| tim |
I think smoking helps with hair loss because you don't eat as much. In my opinion, I think EATING TOO MUCH IS ONE OF THE NUMBER #1 THINGS THAT CAUSES hair loss. Primarily, those who eat alot and store the fat PRIMARILY in the belly. Bums have nice hair, and smoke more than they eat. All those "stars" you mentioned above, Jay Leno, John Goodman, etc, are fat, BUT, store most of this fat in their entire body, NOT just their bellys. It is that belly weight combined with balding that I notice most often. I notice when I wake up in the mornings without the belly weight, my hair looks awesome. There must be some correlation of how we breathe through our bellys and have good hair. | ||
| peter |
Brad Pitt. Thin. Severe acne at some point. Brilliant hair. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Peter: Brilliant hair and brilliant actor. I saw Meet Joe Black several times. He held his own with Anthony Hopkins. The movie got bad reviews, but that actress - Claire Forlaini - she got good reviews from me. So what does this have to do with hair? | ||
| peter |
Oh, acne is supposedly caused by type 1 DHT and hairloss by type 2. Maybe its the other way around. Anyway some see acne as a warning sign for hairloss. I myself struggled with acne and feared it might be a precursor to hairloss. I cured it with my radical diet change (TM). I think Brad is great actor. I saw an interview with michael Caine where he said he thinks he will be appreciated more and more as he ages (Pitt). Was my hairloss related to acne? Well my dad receded at the same age - no acne. Pitt wasn't affected by it. I'm just not sure there really is a connection. Both may be related to DHT secretions to the skin. Seeing as my skin stopped being greasy after my diet change and the scalp exercise de greased my hair - does this mean Ihave lowered the DHT present in my skin. BTW Was the guy who played Toby Maguires dad in spiderman related to you. He looks VERY similar although about 10 years older with curly hair. Scary, really. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Peter: Do you really mean type 1 and type 2 DHT? If so, I have not heard of this. Or do you mean type 1 and type 2 of the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase that converts testosterone in the bloodstream into DHT? These two forms of 5 alpha-reductase are known as isoenzymes. In other words, they are chemically distinct forms of this enzyme but they supposedly catalyze the same physiological response - in this case, grabbing testosterone and converting it into DHT. Propecia (finasteride) blocks type 2; Dutasteride (Avodart) blocks both type 1 and type 2. My opinion is that the blocking of these isoenzymes might have long-term negative side effects. Other people who I respect say this will not happen. You mentioned Michael Caine. I heard an hour interview Terry Gross did with him a few years ago. He is an intelligent, sensitive actor with a low-key, eccentric sense of humor. I like him a lot. | ||
| peter |
I'm not sure if its DHT or not. I've heard this rumour many times but know of no proof. My acne was exaccerbated by fatty foods and white sugar. It took me many years of anti biotics before I realised this. Perhaps I lowered my DHT ? I have said it before and I will say it again. Hairloss isn't just about DHT. I found it satisfying to hear that downregulating DHT also downregulates No (I think) production which helps hair grow. I made a similar (read dumbed down) statement along time ago to you. Based on no scientific or rational proccess though  I like Michael Caine too. He came from a very poor background, was blond when leads were dark and has done really well for himself. He is also very funny. Its a pity you have never visted England. | ||
| Anonymous |
I tend to disagree with the overweight and hair loss correlation. I see lots of fat men with lots of hair including pot bellied ones. I am concerned about smoking affecting hair loss. I had stopped smoking for 3 years and picked one back up. I have noticed in just a 6 month period of time, substantial thinning at the hair line. I think it may be that stress is the ultimate deciding factor because I picked one up due to a recent divorce. Smokers tend to get stressed out or deal with stress poorly. This is why certain people can smoke away and not lose any hair. They are the stress free ones. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: I suppose if one has made lifestyle choices of overeating and smoking, a good case can be made for continuing with these choices. I certainly wouldn't argue with people who have rationalized these activities. From what I've heard, overeating and smoking are lots of fun. | ||
| Jenifer |
Re overeating--it can be fun up to a point. Beyond that point, it's more of a compulsion than an enjoyment. I love to eat and I will often eat more than I need, but not too much more. I got sick back when I tried smoking tobacco and I've never understood the appeal. I have smoked marijuana though and I enjoyed that. Intriguing article someone posted yesterday, about marijuana possibly helping hairloss! | ||
| Anonymous |
i just stumbled across this page now, and though i have no advice to offer, i do have an example in myself. i'm nineteen, have been vegetarian for the past three years and have been living away from home for the past year and a half. when i was at home and not having to worry about how much money i had to last me the next week etc my hair was fine... better than fine really, it was thick and long and a bit crazy... it was my "thing" really, the huge shock of brown that stood out in a crowd. over the past eighteen months since i've moved away to go to university and live by myself, my eating habits have deteriorated due to financial restrictions and as what i believe to be a result, i'm damn near bald now. even the quality of the hair itself has severley worsened, it's entirely dead. not really sure what this added to the discussion, but'yknow... it's an example.. anyone have any ideas how to help out, let me know! being nearly bald and not even twenty really does suck severely... | ||
| michael |
There might be an answer hidden at your post. Maybe you are one of the guys whose body produce equol from soy products. It was discovered lately in an asian societies that despite balding gene, those who follow traditional diet, full of soy products, can avoid balding. Equol which some of their bodies produce, inhibits effectivly DHT in the most natural way. Some companies are investigating this substance to find out why it happens so. I think you should get back to your diet first. If it won't help you should better get some advice from dermatologist. | ||
| Anonymous |
I'm 24 and i starting losing my hair at around 20...i waited till it got pretty severe and started taking PROPECIA...well three months later ALOT of my hair grew back..enough to cover up my scalp in most lighting, i was really happy untill a few weeks ago i started noticing it started to thin again, now i dont know if my body has produced a resistance against PROPECIA? Or maybe i've been putting more stress on myself and my hair? Or it might be the acne medication im taking NATURES CURE? Well im gonna stop taking NATURES CURE even though it helped my acne because that might be the cause the PROPECIA isnt working as well. Id rather have thick hair and a few zits than a clear face and thin hair! I've also heard that vitamin A makes your hair fall out, than in another website it said the opposite, that it helps hair growth..Does anyone know the truth behind Vitamin A and hairloss/gain ? Oh yea and one last thing i had no sex drive for about a month after using PROPECIA but that went away and three months later my hair grew back..i've been taking it for more than a year and i just hope my body doesnt build a resistance for it...Is that possible? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: Vitamin A is important for healthy hair but you can get too much of this fat-soluble vitamin. For an adult, 5000 IU is an adequate amount. People taking huge amounts of this nutrient - 50,000 IU or more over a period of time - often have hair loss problems. By the way, Accutane and some other acne drugs are vitamin A derivatives. Most nutritionists claim that you cannot overdose on beta carotene which is converted into vitamin A as the body needs it. Beta carotene is found in broccoli, spinach, and of course carrots. There are phytochemicals in these vegetables that help keep hair and skin in good condition. Dr. Peter Proctor estimates that 30 percent or more or people who previously responded to Propecia and Rogaine do not continue to respond after three or four years. It is not unusual for the body to build up a tolerance for a drug: the initial effective dose becomes less effective after a period of time. | ||
| Anonymous |
I just found this site and i have been smoking cigs for about 3 years and just started smoking buda for about 9 months all the time. and ive noticed my hiar is thinning bad it looks like someone just took thinning sheers to my whole head and i cant get my hair normal agian and it is making me really stressed because my hair used to be so thick and perfect now i cant even put my hair into a pont tail without most of it falling out and my hair wont even go behind me ears without standing straight out i dont know what to do... | ||
| Anonymous |
Smoking can accelerate hair loss in those whose hair is susceptible to baldness. For those whose hair follicles have lesser androgen receptors, it doesn't matter what they do they won't lose their hair. When you know you are susceptible, better not do anything that would disrupt normal hormone balance. To give a clearer explanation : It is true that smoking can reduce testosterone levels, but it is temporary and for very short time. A little while after you're done with you're cig, lot of testosterone will be produced in "an attempt to restore normal levels". You can't smoke 24 hours, you need to sleep too. This is about why smoking cannot inhibit DHT. Now part 2 : Smoking will destroy blood circulation, eat up elements essential for hair growth like zinc and iron. Those who smoke a lot and yet have good hair have: 1. Very few androgen receptors for DHT to take effect. 2. Have some or the other way of fulfilling their iron zinc and other nutritional requirements. Moral of the story : If you're losing hair quit smoking. That's my advice to you. | ||
| sunny kade New member Username: Sunny80 Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2010 |
I wonder if this is applicable for those who just smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day instead of a pack or more. | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3990 Registered: 01-2003 |
sunny kade: Don't worry about smoking. Read the following and just relax:  If you want to smoke you can always find a reason or two to continue. | ||
| Jon J New member Username: Spinky Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2010 |
smoking is not making us bald. it's genetic people. Not hairspray, not cigs, not the coffee, not acid rain...its MPB. |
