Does Vaping Cause Hair Loss?

What is Vaping?

Vaping is a way of inhaling and exhaling vapors. You do this through a vape device, or e-cigarette, which heats a liquid to create the vapor.

How Many People Vape in the US?

Vaping is an increasingly popular habit among adults living in the US. As of 2020, there were an estimated 9.1 million vapers in the US, which is equal to roughly 3.7% of the adult population. This number has grown significantly since 2018 when just 8.1 million people used vapes in the country. With a growing percentage of the population taking up vaping, it's important to understand the health risks that come with the habit.

How Many People Vape in the UK?

Vaping is an increasingly popular habit among adults living in the UK. As of 2022, there were an estimated 3.6 million vapers in the UK, which is equal to roughly 6% of the adult population. This number has grown significantly since 2012 when just 700K people used vapes in the country. With a growing percentage of the population taking up vaping, it's important to understand the health risks that come with the habit.

Are Vaping and Smoking the Same Thing?

While vaping is often associated with smoking, there are key differences between the two. As the names might suggest, cigarette smokers inhale smoke rather than vapor. Electronic cigarettes also don't contain tobacco, unlike traditional smoking. Because of this, vaping has less health risks associated with it, as fewer toxic chemicals are exposed to users' lungs.

Compared with vaping, hair loss from smoking has been more thoroughly researched. There is still plenty of research to be done to establish a link between vaping and hair loss. Direct evidence of a connection between the two may be established over time.

What Are the Risks of Vaping for Your Hair?

Vaping and Alopecia

There is limited scientific research supporting whether or not vaping can result in alopecia. Despite this, the similarities between smoking and vaping could suggest a possible correlation between vaping and alopecia.

Smoking and vaping may be possible causes of androgenetic alopecia, the most common type of alopecia. For example, one study in the Journal of Trichology raised a possible link between alopecia and smoking. Some of the shared elements of smoking and vaping were raised as potential triggers for alopecia, such as nicotine and reduced blood flow.

Nicotine and Hair Loss

One of the risks that vaping and smoking share is a high nicotine content. Nicotine can affect your body in numerous ways and has been strongly linked with hair loss for several years. A recent study found that nicotine could likely accelerate conditions causing hair loss, like androgenetic alopecia(also known as pattern hair loss).

Vaping and Blood Flow

Maintaining healthy blood flow is a great way to look after our hair health. Having steady blood circulation ensures that our hair follicles receive a constant supply of oxygen, nutrients and vitamins from our blood vessels. Because of the link between nicotine and reduced blood flow, it's quite possible that vapes containing nicotine could cause hair loss.

Not all e-cigarette liquids contain nicotine, which may lead some to believe that they can keep their blood flow healthy by simply avoiding inhaling nicotine. In reality, there have been studies that suggest electronic cigarette vapor alone can reduce your blood flow.

Will Hair Loss From Vaping Grow Back?

As there is only inconclusive or anecdotal evidence currently supporting a link between hair fall and vaping, it's even harder to know if stopping a vaping habit can reverse the effects. However, since our understanding of vaping is largely based on smoking, we can use the results of people who have quit smoking as a rough indication. Fortunately, hair loss linked to smoking is usually reversible if the user stops using the product and lets their scalp heal. This should allow their scalp to start receiving the proper nutrients it was being denied from their reduced blood flow. While there is no guarantee that all lost hair will grow back, some can regrow if taken care of promptly and correctly.

Using the right products can be a great way of maximizing your chances of seeing positive results, and Nixoin's wide range of hair thinning products and treatments make it easy to find the best solution. Get your personalized consultation today to find the right product for you.

Solutions to Help Prevent Hair Thinning

If you feel like vaping is causing your hair loss symptoms, there are several actions you could take to help encourage hair regrowth.

Stop Vaping

It may feel like the right time for you to stop using e-cigarettes. There can be several motivations for this choice, including avoiding potentially harmful substances, lowering nicotine levels, or achieving healthier hair. However, there are lots of health-related reasons people may choose to continue vaping, including to help them with smoking addiction. Ultimately, adapting your lifestyle to remove vaping is a personal choice, and it's always a good idea for current e-cigarette users to consult a doctor before making any changes.

Treat Your Hair and Scalp Well

The same normal guidelines for maintaining healthy hair apply to vapers as well. A good diet with a balance of vital nutrients can significantly encourage healthy hair growth. Caring for your scalp with activities like head massages can also improve blood circulation.

It's also worth considering what other external factors might be causing sudden hair loss, like stress or illness.

Find Products to Help

Hair Thinning Products

To help you fight the signs of hair thinning, Nioxin's specialized three-part System Kits cleanse, condition, and treat your scalp. Discover the right System Kit for you to start addressing your hair thinning concerns today.

Hair Loss Products

For more advanced hair loss issues, Nioxin's products using Minoxidil can help combat balding or receding hairlines. Nioxin's hair loss treatment for men fights receded and receding hairlines, helping you maintain the look of your healthy head of hair. Our hair loss treatment for women are also perfect for promoting hair regrowth.