Asian smokers 'face hair loss'

Nov 2007

Asian men who smoke should quit the habit if they are worried about hair loss, a new study suggests.

Although risk of androgenetic alopecia – a hereditary disorder causing thinning of the scalp hair – is largely genetic, some environmental factors are also thought to play a role.

In the latest research into these factors, scientists from the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and National Taiwan University found that smoking may be related to age-related hair loss among Asian men.

They studied 740 Taiwanese men aged 40 to 91 in 2005, asking them questions in interviews about smoking, other risk factors for hair loss, if they had alopecia and at the age at which they began losing their hair.

Clinical assessments were then made of blood samples, the degree of hair loss, their height and weight.

Writing in the November issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology, the researchers say "statistically significant" associations were spotted between hair loss and current smoking of 20 cigarettes or more per day and smoking intensity.

They propose that this may be a result of smoking destroying hair follicles and damaging the papilla that circulate blood and hormones to stimulate hair growth.

"Patients with early-onset androgenetic alopecia should receive advice early to prevent more advanced progression," the study's authors conclude.