Cigarette Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Risk of Alopecia Areata: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Nicole hopes to spread awareness of and combat the stigmatization surrounding addiction and substance abuse treatment through her writing and work in the field. Accepting your hair loss and allowing it to run its course untreated and unhidden is admirable. You can also improve its appearance with a sober house strategic hairstyle, makeup, hat, or scarf. Not only is a person not giving themselves any of the nutrition they need to live, they are also poisoning themselves with alcohol. When it gets to this point, their hair is most likely the least of their concerns as death may be right around the corner.

• These can also contribute to poor health and system inflammation, which is just another contributor of hair loss.
• Dietary supplements can also help your body’s digestive system (and other bodily systems)  recover from the damage done by excessive drinking.
• Drinking alcohol may cause hair loss for a variety of different reasons, ranging from hormonal changes to poor nutrition.

However, the long-term efficacy of alcohol should be determined in further investigations. Several epidemiological studies have investigated the risk of alopecia following smoking. Current smokers showed a higher risk of alopecia areata incidence than non-smokers, with a hazard ratio of 1.88 [30]. The duration and volume of tobacco smoking were also related to the risk of alopecia areata. Not all people who drink are smokers, but many people light up when they start drinking. Smoking is linked to hair loss, or more specifically, androgenic alopecia (pattern baldness) (Babadjouni, 2021; Salem, 2021).

Recovery from Drinking and Hair Regrowth

Histological examination revealed inflammatory cell infiltrates around the bulbar region of hair follicles in patients with alopecia areata [18]. Hair shaft cortical differentiation is an essential process that the hair matrix epithelium undergoes. MHC class I and class II expression in the pre-cortical hair shaft is enhanced following immune cell reactions to hair follicles [19,20].

Having your doctor check your estrogen levels and other hormones to make sure there isn’t a bigger underlying issue contributing to your hair problems. Drinking alcohol can impair your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, which means even once it has broken down what it needs, your body might not be able to use it. Find Addiction Rehabs is not a medical provider or treatment facility and does not provide medical advice. Find Addiction Rehabs does not endorse any treatment facility or guarantee the quality of care provided, or the results to be achieved, by any treatment facility. The information provided by Find Addiction Rehabs is not a substitute for professional treatment advice.

Stress

Micro-needling is another strategy that has shown some very promising results. Scientists are still trying to pin down all the factors that are the main culprits in what causes hair loss. Medical conditions that cause hair loss can range from many different illnesses to different treatments. Alcoholism itself is a medical condition that directly affects hair loss.

Furthermore, dehydration can lead to increased levels of acid production within the body, which will only worsen damage caused to the hair. Some studies have shown that alcohol withdrawal can lead to the development of thyroid disorders. This is likely due to extensive damage caused by chronic drinking to the thyroid gland, which is then aggravated by the discontinuance of this alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to the development of hypo- and hyperthyroidism, which can cause hair loss and hair thinning.

Care

Consuming alcohol on a regular basis impacts the thyroid and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in a negative manner. This is because excessive drinking disrupts hormones that enable different bodily functions, including hair shedding, hair growth, etc. There is also a close link between alcohol withdrawal and thyroid disorders. Hair loss and hair thinning affect thousands of men and women throughout the country. Unfortunately for many, it can result in problems such as lack of confidence and low self-esteem.

Alcohol and hair loss is a big enough issue that it has caused people to stop drinking altogether once they notice their hair thinning. Alcohol and hair loss is just another negative side effect, of many, that may be a reason you want to seek treatment to stop drinking. I know I felt like I was dying from the life I was living, so I sought help at Divine Detox. My hair wasn’t my number one concern, but once I learned the consequences drinking had on my head of hair it gave me even more motivation to pursue a life in recovery. While the reasons for hair loss caused by alcohol listed above can occur as a result of occasional and moderate drinking, chronic alcohol users are at a higher risk of developing these conditions and more.

Relationship Between Stress and Hair Loss

While dehydration is the primary cause of hangovers the next morning, a lack of hydration also affects the strength and elasticity of the skin. People who drink in moderation and are experiencing hair loss or hair thinning probably don’t need to place the blame on the booze. However, if you are a heavy drinker or an alcoholic, chronic drinking may lead to health issues like nutritional deficiencies that ultimately lead to hair loss. At the same time, there are other lifestyle factors that increase a person’s risk of losing hair, such as drug abuse or tobacco use. When you drink excessively, there are negative effects such as dry skin, lack of nutrition in your diet, poor quality of sleep and increased estrogen levels that can heighten the chance of hair loss. When your hair or scalp is dry, the hair becomes brittle and breaks more easily.

Of course, the obvious best solution is to drink in moderation, but there are a few other things that can help in conjunction with this. „It is also important to eat a balanced diet consisting of proper nutrients, vitamins, and protein, and to also drink plenty of water,“ says Dorin. Although no one was questioning it, it turns out everyone was right about that one glass of water per drink ratio.

The Relation Between Alcohol and Hair Loss: How Are They Connected?

They may snack here and there, but alcohol becomes basically the only thing they are putting in their bodies. A treatment that is harshest on one’s head of hair is of course chemotherapy and radiation. There are so many different answers to the question, ‘what causes hair loss’ and as we figure out all the causes hopefully, we can also come up with some more solutions.