This post is adapted from Alopecia World forum
and this is what I replied to the discussion:
"There is no scientific paper suggest that there is a significant correlation between smoking & alopecia areata yet, I am not aware of any test/ survey being done on the matter also.
1. It is widely accepted both by alopecia patients and scientists/ dermatologists that alopecia areata can be triggered by stress. Stress also comes in various form, physical/ physiological, psychological, pathological or any combinations of the mentioned..etc. Eventhough there is no scientific evidence on the connection between smoking & alopecia, I believe that smoking can be a predisposing factor to alopecia areata. (As per any foreign event/ particles in the body could induce an auto-immunity state). In short, smoking is a form of physical stress of the body indirectly and to the lungs directly.
2. Smoking as a mean to relax the mind and mental/emotional state, statement is valid & factual. One thing for sure, it is not relaxing to the lung and also the heart. While you're relaxing your mind and resting your brain at one time, at the same time you're also comprising the well being of the other vital organs of the body. Why don't you find other means to relax your mind without comprising the health of the other parts of your body. Just as much as you love your mental status/mind/brain, you must love your lungs and heart as well (in addition to the liver and kidney which made up the 5 vital organs of the body).
3. a little more fact about the lung, the lung surface are generally and mostly covered with thin pneumocytes type I (Lung cell type 1) which is responsible for gas exchange (Oxygen-Carbon dioxide exchange), oxygenated blood subsequently distributed by the heart to the entire body. Pneumocytes type II, on the other hand produce surfactant that provide integrity to the lung (thus preventing it from collapsing-atelectasis). Pneumocytes type I eventhough are plenty, their biological component is that it is higly susceptible to toxic insults/ infiltration and they do not regenerate/ or replicate, meaning these cells responsible for gas exchange does not regenerate after the cells die. The lack of cells for gas exchange, will result in lacking of oxygenation, and the tissues send signals to the body to increase breathing rate and heart rate, in order to restore the constant and adequate oxygenation to all body tissues. Well, it is true, some have smoke heavily for decades and yet still healthy, we must praise God that He had created reserve "lung tissues"- functional reserve to sustain our living, our lung's functional reserve is at least 50%-75%, meaning we can still live healthily with one side of the lung removed. So what, some may say, like my own grandfather, who smoked for over 70 years and he is now 97 years old.
I believe, those who smoke and still live long, could live even much longer if they didnt smoke.In conclusion (everyone at this time will say, Praise the Lord...lol). It doesnt matter much if smoking worsens alopecia areata or not, because it matters more that smoking actually add burden to the lung directly and the heart indirectly. Well, the lung and the heart are definitely more important than my hair.
Hair is just another ascessory tissues (play some role) to the skin, while the lung and the heart are major vital organs that sustain the quality of life and eventually life itself! Only if the heart and the lungs are visible on the outside of our body, the society then will pay a lot more attention to them!I dont mean to give you a lecture, I presume your occasional cigar would be more like a weekly habit rather than a daily habit.
I agree that smoking does add to the fact that can provide some form of calmness to the mind and relieve anxiety and ease emotional stress. My motto "I love my lung and my heart just as much as I love being calm to my mind", so I'll find another way to relax. If you're not thinking of quitting smoking, my next advice would be "Moderation is the key".
Take care and God bless."
Joshua
and this is what I replied to the discussion:
"There is no scientific paper suggest that there is a significant correlation between smoking & alopecia areata yet, I am not aware of any test/ survey being done on the matter also.
1. It is widely accepted both by alopecia patients and scientists/ dermatologists that alopecia areata can be triggered by stress. Stress also comes in various form, physical/ physiological, psychological, pathological or any combinations of the mentioned..etc. Eventhough there is no scientific evidence on the connection between smoking & alopecia, I believe that smoking can be a predisposing factor to alopecia areata. (As per any foreign event/ particles in the body could induce an auto-immunity state). In short, smoking is a form of physical stress of the body indirectly and to the lungs directly.
2. Smoking as a mean to relax the mind and mental/emotional state, statement is valid & factual. One thing for sure, it is not relaxing to the lung and also the heart. While you're relaxing your mind and resting your brain at one time, at the same time you're also comprising the well being of the other vital organs of the body. Why don't you find other means to relax your mind without comprising the health of the other parts of your body. Just as much as you love your mental status/mind/brain, you must love your lungs and heart as well (in addition to the liver and kidney which made up the 5 vital organs of the body).
3. a little more fact about the lung, the lung surface are generally and mostly covered with thin pneumocytes type I (Lung cell type 1) which is responsible for gas exchange (Oxygen-Carbon dioxide exchange), oxygenated blood subsequently distributed by the heart to the entire body. Pneumocytes type II, on the other hand produce surfactant that provide integrity to the lung (thus preventing it from collapsing-atelectasis). Pneumocytes type I eventhough are plenty, their biological component is that it is higly susceptible to toxic insults/ infiltration and they do not regenerate/ or replicate, meaning these cells responsible for gas exchange does not regenerate after the cells die. The lack of cells for gas exchange, will result in lacking of oxygenation, and the tissues send signals to the body to increase breathing rate and heart rate, in order to restore the constant and adequate oxygenation to all body tissues. Well, it is true, some have smoke heavily for decades and yet still healthy, we must praise God that He had created reserve "lung tissues"- functional reserve to sustain our living, our lung's functional reserve is at least 50%-75%, meaning we can still live healthily with one side of the lung removed. So what, some may say, like my own grandfather, who smoked for over 70 years and he is now 97 years old.
I believe, those who smoke and still live long, could live even much longer if they didnt smoke.In conclusion (everyone at this time will say, Praise the Lord...lol). It doesnt matter much if smoking worsens alopecia areata or not, because it matters more that smoking actually add burden to the lung directly and the heart indirectly. Well, the lung and the heart are definitely more important than my hair.
Hair is just another ascessory tissues (play some role) to the skin, while the lung and the heart are major vital organs that sustain the quality of life and eventually life itself! Only if the heart and the lungs are visible on the outside of our body, the society then will pay a lot more attention to them!I dont mean to give you a lecture, I presume your occasional cigar would be more like a weekly habit rather than a daily habit.
I agree that smoking does add to the fact that can provide some form of calmness to the mind and relieve anxiety and ease emotional stress. My motto "I love my lung and my heart just as much as I love being calm to my mind", so I'll find another way to relax. If you're not thinking of quitting smoking, my next advice would be "Moderation is the key".
Take care and God bless."
Joshua
Do you not think that smokers are more stressed, so have the need to relax? Therefore that might explain any correlation, although you quite clearly state that there isn't one to begin with. So why not smoke if there's no evidence it correlates to, let alone causes, hair loss?
ReplyDeleteI agree that smoking is bad for you in many ways (who wouldn't) but the only time smoking has been shown to hae anything to do with hair loss is in rats.
I found some information on the causes of Alopecia here: http://ezinearticles.com/?Summaries-About-Hair-Loss-Part-1---The-Hair-Growth-Cycle&id=2483609
i used to be afflicted with Alopecia aerate for two horrendous years, until i quit smoking. never realized that it was linked together. i don't know if the two are related but i've only had one last episode since and that was when i was sneaking smokes again. i quickly knocked it off and been free of the nightmare since. its been two wholes years and i still have all my hare. by the way i was only smoking for two years. i think someone should conduct a study on this
ReplyDeleteI don't think there should be any relation between smoking and alopecia.
ReplyDeleteBut one thing is sure that smoking is dangerous to health and it can cause hair loss at letter stage of age.
zahn
I have A.A , well kind of it got to a point where everything fell out, and it started all growing back, right when I quit drinking , smoking and eating like crap. I notice then when I replaps new spots show up and when I stop again they go away. Something is up with this, and yes it could be mental but the fact that i had almost no hair left and right when i got rid of the crap it grew back.
ReplyDeleteI have had aa for about a year, it came on about six months after I started smoking. As soon as I started to quit, it starting going away again. I can't say if they are connected but it does feel that way. In any case, another good excuse not to smoke again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the useful information. Smoking badly damages the health this should be none to the smoker who smokes. Smokers feel that they get pleasure from it but they do not know how badly it affects the health.
ReplyDeleteThe comment that the use of cigarettes to ease stress being valid is somewhat (or very) flawed. Cigarettes do not ease stress unless it is the stress caused by not feeding your addiction to nicotine. People that smoke for the very first time are not stressed in all likelihood, and I would assure you that if they were, the disgusting first cigarette would do nothing to ease it.
ReplyDeletesmoking and trouble digesting lactose products usually go hand in hand with AA.
ReplyDeleteavoid Chantix at all costs.