If you’re losing your hair, it’s tempting to become lost in the Google rabbit hole and try to figure out what’s causing it. While some may blame it on heredity, others may blame it on hormones. You’re bound to come across an article or two that links hair loss to a glass of wine. Now, your girls’ margaritas or beer at the BBQ won’t make you lose your hair, but there are some ties between alcohol and hair loss, depending on how much you drink. Continue reading to know more about the effects of alcohol on your hairline and natural strategies to regenerate your hair.
The majority of us like a glass of wine with dinner or a pint of beer while watching football, and we occasionally overindulge on a night out with friends. Something we’ve all gone through. But did you realize that drinking alcohol has several adverse effects on our health? We’re going to look at the effects of alcohol on your hair today.
Is it true that drinking causes hair loss? No, there isn’t a direct link between hair loss and alcohol consumption more than the recommended units of alcohol. However, there are many adverse effects of binge drinking that can lead to hair loss.
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Does alcohol cause hair loss?
The truth is that while alcohol does not cause hair loss directly, it may induce various health problems that might lead to hair thinning or loss. Excessive alcohol use can result in vitamin shortages, which can lead to hair loss. Alcohol hinders nutrient degradation and limits your body’s capacity to absorb the nutrients it requires, making it challenging for your body to work correctly and maintain the health of your hair.
B12, folic acid, and iron deficiency are among the most prevalent vitamin deficiencies connected to high alcohol consumption. These nutrients are used by your body to help you develop your hair and nails, sleep better, and even maintain healthy brain function. Long-term use can lead to vitamin A, C, D, E, and K deficiency. Your health and hair will deteriorate if you begin to suffer from malnutrition.
How to Avoid Hair Loss From Alcohol
Excessive alcohol intake causes hair loss, which is only one of the more noticeable side effects of the harm occurring in your body.
A popular supportive method for treatment and recovery from chemical dependency and addiction is rehabilitation. The term “rehabilitation” refers to a process of medical and psychological rehabilitation in which a person’s addiction to a drug, alcohol, or stimulant is managed and cured.
Rehab is an effective recovery technique for individuals and families suffering from drug abuse and alcoholism, regardless of the type of substance abuse. Addicts must approach the rehabilitation process with determination, honesty, openness, and willingness for treatment to be effective; treatment only works when its foundations are in an honest appraisal of the reality of addiction. You can go to the Baton Rouge Rehab center for a speedy recovery.
Can binge drinking cause hair loss?
As previously said, alcohol does not cause hair loss directly, but it does induce other problems that lead to hair loss. When you binge drink, you may experience acute dehydration, dry out your hair follicles and lead to hair thinning over time. This can result in high levels of acid in your body, depleting protein stores and leading to hair loss and other health problems.
What does alcohol do to your hair?
Hair and alcohol do not get along. Alcohol usage can cause dry, brittle, and breaking hair, as well as significant hair loss over time. Dehydration and malnutrition make it difficult for your body to repair your hair and function properly. If your hair is dried out and thinning, you’ll probably have to resort to alternative methods to regrow it.
Dehydration caused by alcohol can result in dry, brittle hair.
Alcohol is a diuretic. It promotes dehydration in the body by increasing the amount of urine produced. Dehydration has several unfavorable impacts on the body. Water, after all, makes up anything from 55 percent of a person’s body weight (in the elderly) to 75 percent (in infants), and it’s needed in various internal processes. That is why dehydration can cause a decline in physical and mental performance, as well as the malfunction of many systems (such as the gastrointestinal and urinary)
But what about the condition of your hair? Water does play an essential function in the health of your follicles.
Improper skin hydration can lead to a loss of strength and elasticity, as well as long-term damage to the follicles and hair shaft. In rare situations, it may even encourage the growth of dry skin, which can cause irritation and increase the risk of scalp injury. In a nutshell, alcohol causes dehydration, which leads to the malfunctioning of vital organs (including the skin).
Hair Loss Due to Alcoholism
Long-term repercussions of drinking include thinning hair, which is, unfortunately, one of them. Alcoholism promotes hair loss in three ways: it increases stress, reduces food absorption, and disrupts hormone balance.
- Elevated stress levels
Hair loss is connected to long-term stress, which is known as telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium is a disorder in which your hair remains in its resting phase. Your hair will be unable to grow any longer and will begin to fall out in big clumps. Because your hair typically grows in three phases, having your hair development cycle locked in one phase is harmful to your hair’s health.
- Nutrient absorption
As previously stated, drinking impairs your body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients. If you are battling alcoholism, you will suffer thinning hair since your hair requires a healthy scalp, good circulation, and a consistent amount of nutrients to develop.
Excessive drinking provides empty calories with little nutritious value, especially if you primarily consume beer or liquor. You’re probably not focusing on keeping a nutritious, well-balanced diet because you’re consuming so many calories in the form of alcohol.
When you drink heavily, you may always feel full because you’re drinking so much alcohol, which can lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition can have frightening consequences, such as brain impairment from thiamine deficiency and hair loss. A healthy scalp and head of hair require the appropriate balance of vitamins, minerals, proteins, lipids, and carbs.
- Hormones
Alcoholism is connected to hormonal imbalances, particularly in the thyroid. Hair loss can occur when your thyroid balances hormones in your body, and this process is disrupted by hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.