Nicotine Hair Loss

Nicotine is an alkaloid substances found in the nightshade family Solanaceae of plants. It is predominantly found in tobacco and in lower amount in tomato, potato and green pepper.



Nicotine and its effects on hair loss or hair health has long been debated. Hundreds of thousands of studies on nicotine revealed that harmful effects of nicotine on body. Many harmful effects are closely associated to scalp and hair loss. In this article you will learn about nicotine, how does it cause hair loss and how to prevent from Nicotine induced hair loss.

Overview:
Healthy scalp produces healthy hair shafts. Hair shafts arise from hair follicles. Hair follicles are tiny tubular cavities, at the base of hair follicles there exists an bulb like structure called dermal papillae, that multiplies itself gradually to produce hair shaft. Hair follicles are surrounded with hundreds of thousands tiny blood capillaries which carry blood from arteries to hair follicles. Supply of oxygen and nutrients are carried out by blood capillaries. Therefore, nutrients and oxygen transference through blood capillaries is the only fundamental source of follicular nourishment that makes growth of healthy hair possible.

Nicotine produces very powerful effects on arteries and throughout the body. Nicotine is a stimulant that speeds up the heart beats by about 20 beats per minute. Nicotine causes increased blood pressure. It is a vasoconstrictor that means it makes the arteries hard and stiff and blood can not run easily within arteries. Due to negative effects of nicotine, cholesterol is released within the blood that in turn, is extremely harmful for your body.

Nicotine not only causes constriction in blood arteries but also in tiny blood capillaries that carries blood, oxygen and nutrients towards hair follicles. Hair follicles are also susceptible to nicotine and similar chemical substances. Blood capillaries are tiny tubes around singe blood cell in diameter. You can estimate, how vulnerable are blood capillaries to be constricted being single cell in diameter.

As nicotine enters the body, it is rapidly distributed through the bloodstream and reach the brain crossing the blood-brain barrier. Nicotine takes around 7 seconds to reach the brain. Nicotine is a hygroscopic, that is it attracts nearby water molecules. Dermal papilla, the bulb shaped structures responsible for creating new cells exists at the bottom of the hair follicles. Dermal papilla creates the new cells that pushes themselves upwards and force the older cells to move higher. Therefore, production of new hair cells requires adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients.

Prevention:
As a first preventive measure, avoid smoking as most of the nicotine is transferred through smoking. Although it is not easy to stop smoking, you must stop it gradually for the sake of healthy body. To increase the blood flow towards hair follicles and decrease the stiffness of blood capillaries, massage your scalp with natural coconut oil or almond oil. It will really show good results. Coconut oil not only help massage hair follicles, but it contains several chemicals needed for healthy growth of the hair. Therefore, it works in dual way, providing the nutrients and increasing the blood flow rate towards hair follicles. Avoid too much coffee, chocolates, potato products etc.