Hair Loss and Smoking Linkages

In case you needed another reason to consider quitting smoking, your hair loss and hair health might be it. Smoking aggravates hair loss. Often, by the time smokers get past 40, many have the withered hair follicles of much older men. As smoking is bad for your heart, it is also bad for your hair loss. Dr. Proctor says: "Tobacco smoke damages the linings of blood vessels, which produce less nitric oxide, and this might prevent hair growth."

Smoking also limits blood vessels and constricts circulation, says Wilma F. Bergfeld, M.D., chief of clinical research in the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic. Lessened blood flow "ages" hair follicles prematurely.