The repercussions of traditional cigarettes led to the realization of the fact to devise a safer alternative. Hence, the e-cigarettes were introduced to the people. While the traditional cigarettes have been around decades on the globe, the e-cigarettes are quite new as they were available only after 2004. These cigarettes are considered to be an option less hazardous than traditional cigarettes. Although the fact is that these contain carcinogens and nicotine.

What are e-cigarettes?

The e-cigarettes are a modern approach to traditional cigarettes. These also contain nicotine. However, the way nicotine is delivered to the vaper is different. By vaping e-cigarettes, there is the release of vapor in the water form instead of smoke as it happens in traditional cigarettes. That is why they were presumed by many to be non-toxic and less harmful. Still, some people have been linking e-cigarettes to be responsible for the loss of hair.

How do e-cigarettes contribute to hair loss?

There have been studies that reveal that e-cigarettes also contain substances like traditional cigarettes which can cause hair loss but there is a lack of evidence regarding the same.

Even if they do cause hair fall, it is because of the presence of the nicotine in the e-cigarettes. Nicotine affects hair in more than one way. Firstly, the use of nicotine does not directly and immediately cause hair loss. Its use for longer periods does cause hair loss. Let us see how.

• It is responsible for raising blood pressure. When there is an increase in the blood pressure, the blood vessels are constricted. This causes the supply of essential nutrient and oxygen to decrease and not reaching the hair. With this, the hair follicles do not receive their food and they tend to become weak causing hair fall.

• The supply of oxygen is decreased. With less supply of oxygen and less presence of oxygen, the hair is bound to fall out.

• It is a well-known fact that hair fall among people is more with their advancing age. The nicotine is responsible for aging thus making people lose out hair caused due to premature aging.

• The inhaling of nicotine diminishes the immunity of people. As a result, the scalp also becomes prone to be attacked by harmful infections such as dandruff or ringworm raising chances of loss of hair.

What can be done to reverse hair loss?

There can be many hair loss treatments for curing the nicotine-induced hair loss. The most ideal method is meditation and deep breathing as it raises the supply of oxygen in the body. With more supply of oxygen, the blood pressure remains under control and the hair follicles get all vital nutrients for the hair growth leading to healthy hair.

All in all, in the absence of any evidence about e-cigarettes, it is difficult to form any grounds about hair loss and e-cigarettes. If the effect of nicotine of e-cigarettes is same as that of traditional cigarettes its intake needs to be reduced considerably. Till the time no conclusion is available, the vaping of e-cigarettes can be kept in control.