Does air pollution cause hair loss?
Recent scientific studies have shown that air pollution can cause hair loss. Find out how this happens in the following article.
Does air pollution cause hair loss? In fact, the link between pollution and hair loss has not always been clear. The presence of polluting particles in the air is clearly linked to respiratory diseases such as asthma or allergies, and can of course cause several types of cancer. However, until recently, its effects on the skin and hair were not well known.
Many people interested in the cost of a hair transplant in Turkey have also wondered about the possible link between pollution and hair loss. Now a new scientific study has shed light on the direct link between exposure to pollution and hair loss. Let’s see how it happens.
How does pollution affect hair?
Both skin and hair are the first barriers our body has against environmental pollution. Particles of pollutants in the air and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced by the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, organic matter, etc.), and also asphalt, cause damage and irritation due to oxidative stress because of the increase in oxygen free radicals.
More and more studies in recent years confirm these side effects of pollution on our hair, and a very recent one explains clearly how air pollution causes direct hair loss. Let’s look at this.
Research suggests that air pollution causes hair loss
A scientific study on the link between pollution and hair loss was conducted by experts from the Future Science Research Center in South Korea, whose conclusions were revealed in October 2019. During the 28th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in Madrid, clearly confirm that air pollution affects hair growth and directly causes hair loss.
During the investigation, scientists from South Korea exposed scalp cells – so-called “Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells” (HFDPC) – to different types of PM10 concentrations, as well as to particles from diesel combustion.
The results clearly showed that the presence of both pollutants caused a reduction in the levels of beta-catenin, a protein responsible for hair growth and formation; in addition, a reduction was also detected in the levels of the proteins cyclin D1, cyclin E and CDK2, which are responsible for hair growth and retention. This means that the more pollutants are in the air, the fewer proteins, and therefore … the greater the hair loss.
What are the consequences?
So can environmental factors cause hair loss? Can pollution cause hair loss? As we have just seen, the answer is clear: yes!!! Air pollution has a direct impact on the health of the scalp and hair follicles . In fact, studies have shown that this hair loss can be similar even to that caused by male pattern hair loss or cause other pathologies such as alopecia areata, scarring alopecia or chronic telogenetic alopecia.
The following effects can appear to the hair due to pollution:
- scattered hair loss over the entire scalp
- excessive sweating
- dryness and brittleness of the hair
- dandruff or flaking, especially in sweat-retaining areas
- redness and irritation of the scalp and itching
- swelling and puffiness around the hair follicles
- oily scalp due to excessive sebum secretion
How can we protect our hair from pollution?
Since the scalp and hair are the first to come into contact with air pollution, it is important to protect them from external pollutants and oxidative stress. In this respect, cleanliness and hygiene of the scalp, hair care and of course a healthy and balanced diet can be our greatest allies.
However, when it comes to reducing and even reversing the effects of pollution in our hair, it is necessary to use other medical solutions, such as hyaluronic acid, which is an excellent protective agent for the hair. It not only increases the resistance of the hair follicles, but also moisturises them and prevents hair loss. Hyaluronic acid is part of the treatments used in hair mesotherapy.
