Smoking and Hair Loss
The same destructive effects that smoking has on
skin, causing premature aging among other visible changes, also may contribute to baldness. According to a
recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health, smoking can increase almost all the major androgenic
hormones including DHEA, androstenedione, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone most closely
linked to hair loss.
Another reason behind the link between hair loss and smoking is that smoking damages the linings of blood vessels and constricts blood vessels, decreasing the blood flow to the hair follicles. The lack of blood flow speeds up aging of the hair follicles, resulting in a premature hair loss and gray hair.