Across the UK, it is estimated that almost 3.5 million adults vape in the UK. Whilst vaping products may be a fantastic alternative to smoking tobacco, it may be the cause that inhaling toxins vape pens may cause hair loss. Keep reading to find out more!
Vaping In The UK: How Popular Is This Phenomenon?
In the UK, vaping is one of the most popular alternatives to cigarette smoking. If you’re thinking about quitting smoking, then you have probably seen vape pens and e-cigarettes in a number of different shops.
Whilst vaping may lower your chances of developing health conditions like lung cancer, that is not to say it is entirely free of toxic chemicals and health risks. E cigarette smokers may be increasing their chances of suffering with hair loss.
Whilst vaping related hair loss may be a relatively new phenomenon, smoking related hair loss has plenty of evidence looking at this relationship.
First Thing’s First: What is Hair Loss?
Put simply, hair loss is a condition in which a person loses hair from their scalp or other parts of their body. It can happen due to various factors, including genetic conditions, certain medications, hormonal changes, stress, and even vaping.
Although we naturally lose between 50 and 100 hair follicles a day, we suffer with hair loss when we begin to lose hair at a faster rate than it can grow back. One of the most common forms of hair loss is a condition called telogen effluvium. Like hair loss from vaping, it is both treatable and reversible.
Some forms of hair loss, like male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) are permanent and irreversible. They can also be genetic. However, hair loss caused by vaping is, obviously, environmentally caused and, as stated above, likely reversible.
What Do Your Hair Follicles Need for Healthy Hair Growth?
When it comes to hair growth, your hair follicles and scalp need a number of things to keep healthy. For healthy hair, you need to think about your scalp health, daily shampoo and conditioner, blood flow, and nutrients.
Hair follicles need adequate nutrition and regular circulation to promote healthy growth. Eating a healthy diet rich in minerals, vitamins, and proteins can help nourish the follicles and keep them healthy.
Your hair follicles are fed by the blood vessels in your scalp. In order for you hair to remain happy and healthy, you need to do as much as you can to ensure a healthy blood flow. Additionally, regular scalp massage can help stimulate healthy growth by increasing circulation to the follicles.
The Existing Scientific Research: Smoking Cigarettes and Hair Loss
The relationship between smoking cigarettes and hair loss is well documented in scientific literature. Smoking has been linked to increased hair loss. The chemicals in cigarettes can damage the hair follicles, leading to thinning hair and balding.
Additionally, smoking can reduce circulation to the scalp, which can cause hair loss. For your hair follicles to keep growing naturally, your blood vessels need to pump plenty of blood around your scalp. As smoking increased levels of blood thickness (and sometimes clotting), this can result in hair damage.
Toxins, inhaled in cigarette smoke, can not only be extremely damaging to you health, but your hair as well. As stated above, toxin intake (as well as vitamin deficiency) can result in impaired hair growth.
So, Is Smoking E-Cigarettes as Bad For Your Hair as Smoking Tobacco?
Although smoking e-cigarettes has not been studied extensively for its link to hair loss, some studies have suggested it can have similar effects on the hair follicles as cigarettes. Although there may not be quite as many health risks posed by vaping, it may still contribute to hair loss.
Vaping also exposes smokers to many of the same chemicals as smoking, so it is likely to contribute to hair loss in a similar manner. Similarly, as the e-cigarettes and real cigarettes both contain nicotine, they are both addictive.
As nicotine is an addictive element, the repetitive smoking of vape pens or cigarettes is what will worsen a smoker’s hair loss symptoms.
What Happens to my Body (and Hair) When I Vape?
An E cigarette is a device that is designed to distribute nicotine into your body. When inhaled through the lungs, nicotine is transported around your body via blood flow in a matter of a few seconds.
Every time you vape, you inhale between 1 and 15 milligrams of nicotine. Other alternatives to smoking, include nicotine patches and nicotine gum. These alternatives have fewer harmful chemicals than tobacco smoke or vaping.
Nicotine hair loss occurs because you constrict your blood vessels every time you inhale. Every time this happens, each hair follicle (fed by your blood vessels) will receive fewer and fewer doses of oxygen and nutrients. This can be terrible for your hair!
With less oxygen and fewer nutrients, each follicle becomes weaker and more susceptible to becoming fragile. Of course, this can end in hair loss! Not to mention, vaping may also cause lung injuries, as well as increasing your chances of a heart attack.
Vaping Liquids and Hair Loss: What’s the Evidence?
While there is no direct evidence linking vaping to hair loss, some of the chemicals and ingredients in vaping liquids may potentially cause problems with hair health. It is possible that prolonged exposure to these substances may lead to hair loss, but further research is needed.
What Can I do to Lower My Chances of Hair Loss If Vape?
Well, the most obvious answer to this is to switch out your vape device for something less harmful that will increase your nicotine levels whilst you still have cravings. Something like gum, or patches.
Feeding your nicotine habit with a gum or a patch will not only give less money to the tobacco industry, but improve your health in a variety of ways. As well as improving your body’s blood circulation and condition of your vital organs, stopping vaping will also enable your hair regrowth as well!
If you’re struggling with hair growth once you stop smoking, you may need one or two treatments to help your hair regrow. From PRP hair treatments to an FUE Hair Transplant, we have you covered at Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics!
There are plenty of things you can do to encourage hair growth, have a look at our other blog posts to find out more!
