I have never seen anything in writing or heard of any study which says that smoking can also cause hair loss. I also know lots of people who smoke and yet have a full head of hair. So, is there any truth to this statement?

What do you guys think?

I don't think smoking can cause hairloss. However, if you're thinking of getting a hair transplant, you will have to quite smoking for a couple of weeks prior and a couple weeks after the transplant. The reason for this is that smoking impedes the healing process.

Smoking constricts the capilaries in the scalp that bring nourishment to the hair follicle. Now, that doesn't mean that smoking necessarily causes hair loss, however for someone already prone to male-pattern baldness, quitting smoking can most definitely hold some great benefit.

I struggled with quitting smoking for the longest time (and have the occasional craving). While I won't bug you and tell you to quit, I will say that you will most definitely feel tons better after you do.

Good luck and if you have any questions about how I quit, I would be glad to help you out.

-Robert

quote:

Originally posted by GuitarPlayer:
I don't think smoking can cause hairloss. However, if you're thinking of getting a hair transplant, you will have to quite smoking for a couple of weeks prior and a couple weeks after the transplant. The reason for this is that smoking impedes the healing process.

True. An article in the paper today says a study shows that smokers who break a leg require 62% more time to heal than non-smokers.

quote:

Originally posted by Forum Moderator and Satisfied Patient:
Smoking constricts the capilaries in the scalp that bring nourishment to the hair follicle. Now, that doesn't mean that smoking necessarily causes hair loss, however for someone already prone to male-pattern baldness, quitting smoking can most definitely hold some great benefit.

I struggled with quitting smoking for the longest time (and have the occasional craving). While I won't bug you and tell you to quit, I will say that you will most definitely feel tons better after you do.

Good luck and if you have any questions about how I quit, I would be glad to help you out.

-Robert

Thanks. How did you quit smoking? I smoke 1 or 2 a day. Don't smoke on the weekends at all.

1 or 2 cigarettes a day? Or one or two packs a day? I was a pack-a-day smoker for close to ten years. I quit by removing myself from all things that I associated with smoking. Friends that smoke, beer *gasp!*, bars, smoking areas, etc. I had already tried the patch, gum, lozenge, hypnosis, etc. Nothing worked with any real measure of success. I did some research and found out that the body has overcome the actually physical dependancy of the drug in three days. Three days is not a long time.

From there, I would take it step-by-step. If I thought about quitting for the rest of my life, it seemed daunting. If I thought about quitting for the next 5 minutes, it seemed easy. So I quit 5 minutes at a time. Just get through the next 5 minutes without a cigarette and you're good. Then you only have 5 more minutes to go, then 5 more, then 5 more...

It sounds kind of cheesy but it worked for me.

After less than 2 weeks my energy level soared. I still got cravings, but I learned to embrace them. I actually started thinking that it was me against them and I was going to beat them - to beat that moment. Your will power soars after the first couple of days. Just keep the ball rolling and don't use a "crutch." What are you going to do if you don't have that gum, that patch, that lozenge, that celery stick? It's a crutch and will only interfere with your success.

If I can be of any more help, just ask. Finally quitting smoking was just about the best thing I could do with myself. After I had quit for only 2 months or maybe even less, I could be in crowded bars with people smoking all around me again, no sweat. I could drink coffee in the morning and enjoy the way it tasted without having to suck in tars and toxins with it.

Best of luck to you,

-Robert

Well done Rob.Im trying to give up at the moment.Been on them for 15 years.

Damo

hey guys, Im 4 months out and I smoke a few cigs a day, my concern is if this will play a role or have any effect on the growth of my grafts? Im also still some what red in the recipeint area, should i quit until the redness has dissapeared completly? Is it normal to still have redness in the recipient area at 4 months post op?

Mr invisible i smoked after my 2 procedures and didnt have any problem with my grafts at all.I just quit a week prior to my surgery thats all.My redness went away after a couple of months but i suppose everybody may be different but 4 months does seem like awhile to me.Get your Dr to check it out.

Damo

quote:

i smoked after my 2 procedures and didnt have any problem with my grafts at all

Same for me, though I don't smoke cigarettes but big fat Cubans.

Can't get Cubans here, Hairworthy, but I have been enjoying some Davidoffs here recently. Yeah, I did quit smoking cigarettes, but I still fancy the occasional cigar. Though, admittedly, it looks weird when someone that looks 21 or 22 (the age everyone places me at - I'm 27) is puffing on a cigar. Ah well.

Davidoff Cigars

-Robert

Get the Los Maestros from the Dominican Republic or the Ti Amo from Mexico my friend. They are excellent value for money and taste MUCH better than any Davidoff, the top brand, for me, being Romeo y Julieta, but they are Cubans. You'll have to come to Europe one day so I can show you my stock and give you a few of them.

Hah enough about cigars , but does actual smoking really damage hair growth and accelerate hair loss? I dont smoke cigs or cigars at all, but i do occasionally smoke marajuana. I know smoking is smoking, but are cigs worse than marajuana smoking? Ive heard that marajuana produces actual chemicals and enzymes linked to improving health and regenerative phases in the body (They actually named the chemicals after the cannibus plant, called canniboid or something)

But my question is, will smoking weed now and again have adverse reactions to my hair growth/loss?

Im currently on Proscar with the moderators recommendation of 2% nizoral and 5% minoxidil applied @ the crown and hairline. Thus far results are minimal, but if i have to quit smoking entirely i will do so.
Thanks

Dude, you could smoke a bowl every 2 hours for 20 yrs and it would not affect your hairline. I have older friends who have done just that and they have thick long hair. Of course, it will shrink your testicals, deplete half your testosterone, and turn you into an annoying girly man neighbor, but thats about it...

Male-pattern baldness is genetic. It is happening due to your hormones, not your recreational drug use. While smoking *may* exacerbate your hair loss due to constricting nourishment-giving scalp capillaries, it is not likely to actually cause any hair loss.

Like pushing 40 said, I think you're fine.

-Robert

I guess the real question is. Can a hair transplant cause hairloss. Yes.Very much so. I never smoked or drank prior to my transplant.

quote:

Originally posted by Mahair:
I guess the real question is. Can a hair transplant cause hairloss. Yes.Very much so. I never smoked or drank prior to my transplant.

One thing I like about your posts is that they are always full of joy and optimism. It must be a lot of fun to hang out with you.