ALCOHOL SMOKING and ALOPECIA. Cause of hair loss?

If you are a heavy drinker or smoker, it's high time you reconsider your quest to be a Guiness book of records nominee because there is an association between these two habits and hair loss. This association is scientific and now we look at the physiologic disturbances that take place when your body is overwhelmed by alcohol or smoking. Note that if you are an addict, going cold turkey after noticing significant hair loss may precipitate adverse withdrawal events. Therefore you need the guidance of a professional to do it safely. Now let's look at the link between alcohol, smoking and alopecia in detail but in order to leave no stone unturned, we need to understand what the hair needs to grow. If you are looking to grow your beard read here.

Hair needs nutrients to grow

Your hair may look inert externally but it actually has a living part deep in the skin which is vascularised and has a nerve supply. This is where the stem cells which replenish the hair follicles are located. Hair is made up of keratin, which is a protein, therefore a good nutritional supply of amino acids is needed to keep the hair growing. Micronutrients like zinc, copper and iron play an important role in hair growth and must not be limited in diet. The importance of a good nutrition also means anything which inteferes with delivery of these essential raw materials affects hair development, directly or indirectly. The disturbance may take the form of:

• Bad diet lacking essential nutrients for hair growth


• Poor absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract


• Damaged blood vessels in the skin leading to poor delivery of essential nutrients


• Disturbance of the supporting structures of the hair, collagen and elastin

Alcohol and smoking lead to alopecia and other undesirable effects, directly or indirectly as described below.

Alcohol and alopecia (hair loss)

The introduction may have cast a cloud above any partaker of the 'wise waters', but fear not. Moderate drinking within the prescribed limits is not bad for your hair. In the past, men were said to tolerate alcohol more than women, hence the amount of recommended alcohol was greater for men than for women. Well, that has since changed as alcohol knows no gender. Don't forget to watch a video on the top 10 strongest beers here. The recommended number if units according to the Royal College of Physicians are as follows:

Men and women

• New guidelines apply to both sexes


• Both men and women should not exceed 14 units of alcohol per week,


• This is equivalent to 6 pints of beer or seven glasses of wine


• There should be alcohol free days to allow the body to recover completely

If you exceed the above recommendations you encroach into a territory of heavy drinkers and the adverse effects of alcohol manifest in one way or the other. Alcohol affects hair indirectly because excessive drinking is often associated with poor nutrition. This leads to nutritional deficiencies that have been listed above and these nutrients are essential in hair development. The way alcohol affects nutrition is by:

1. Poor appetite as conditions like alcohol-induced gastritis depress appetite

2. Poor absorption of food hence the body is deprived of proteins, essential for hair growth

3. The quality of diet deteriorates as volumes imbibed increase. It's not uncommon to someone battling to control hangover and eating anything that stimulates appetite, even if it's not nutritious.

What happens to the hair?

As a result of chronic nutritional deficiencies and other alcohol-induced comorbidities, hair thinning and hair loss occurs. These are the signs:

• Losing hair while brushing


• Also losing hair while combing


• Hair strands on the pillow


• Scratching hair leaves your with hair strands

Alcohol does not cause hair loss directly, but intefere with metabolism of nutrients that are essential for optimum hair growth. The best way to protect you precious hair is to stay within the recommended limits described above. If moderated there are actually beneficial effects like a reduced incidence of heart disease. Thinking about brewing your own beer? Think again after reading this article.

Smoking and alopecia (hair loss)

Smoking is a bit different from alcohol in that it has it's own collection dreaded complications like malignancies. A lot of people who smoke struggle to quit because of the addiction. Learning that smoking is associated with hair loss motivates someone.

It is well documented that nicotine and other substances in smoke damage arteries which in turn interferes with blood flow. Arteries and arterioles in the skin are not spared either. A cascade of events take place in the skin causing:

• Damage to DNA of the hair follicle thus affecting proper growth


• Production of harmful molecules called free radicals which unleash damage in the skin


• Oxidation and it's resultant damage also takes place


• There is intereference with the normal ezymatic processes that are essential in hair develpment


• Smoking is associated with aging and destructive processes in the skin lead to fibrosis (or scarring). The architecture which maintains the hair follicles intact is disrupted leading to hair thinning or hair loss.

Conclusion

A significant number of people who drink alcohol also smoke. Alcohol consumed in moderate amounts does not appear to cause any effect to hair integrity. Only in serious cases of alcoholism do we see an interference with hair development, usually associated with nutritional deficiencies. Smoking, on the other hand, causes progressive damage to skin integrity which interferes with hair structures. Heavy smokers are affected more and if we throw in heavy drinking, complications worsen. Now you know the link between alcohol, smoking and alopecia. If you have excess hair learn about laser hair removal and if you have hair loss, you have a chance. Read this article to find out more!