Hello and about MPB and cigarettes.

[Jedgreen]

Hi, I'm 39 years old, from France.
(Sorry for possible average english from time to time!)

I would say I'm a Norwood 7, I shave my head for years now and honnestly I'm perfectly fine with how I look in the mirror. So I won, as would say Spencer Kobren.
Of course I would be pleased to have the option to have hairs to change my look, but I'm just stuck with my shaved look.
It's no big deal for me now, but it was a real problem when I was 17, to I would say 27 or more. A good decade before I took the decision to shave.
Luckily during during my military service I had to buzz quite short, and I already felt a lot better at that time. So it was not a full decade of depression.

In fact now I really believe that the main problem is not being bald. The problem is the fact of getting bald. It is the process itself that is debilitating. You feel you don't have control on your look, you can't style your hair, you feel it flying each time the wind blows a bit, people are watching your hair and not your eyes, etc... Anyway, You know what I mean.
Once you cut your hair very short (or better shave your head) most of the debilitating things are gone. I have the chance to be comfortable with this look, so that's a plus, but I think that even for someone who's not a fan of how it looks on him, it can makes life easier. And maybe the guy could get used to the look.
You don't feel your hair anymore (obviously) and people around you don't notice you anymore because of a weird hair style. From one day to the other people were looking at me in the eyes. Not several centimeters higher... This simple fact was a game changer to me.


Now why on hearth would I post something at the baldtruthtalk if basicaly everything is fine for me?

First because I agree with Spencer Kobren: people who are living fine being bald needs to explain to other that it is possible. I just hope I will not make suffering people upset because I'm fine with my shaved head, that's not the goal.

Second, because something happended recently.
Like I said I'm a Norwook 7 without any hair exept the "hoseshoe" ones around the head. Not even one hair. Scalp pretty dry. Didn't really cared about my scalp. I just shaved hair and that's it.

Then I quit smoking

(Smoked for about 15 years. At first it was 3 or 5 a day, then it would be 15 a day, could be a pack a day on week ends. Then the last couple of years I reduced between 7 or 9 a day.)

One month and a half after I quit smoking I noticed new hairs on my head... (I only shave once a week so I can feel new growth)
I could not believe it. it was sureal. New actual hairs in places where it was bald for years.
So, it's three months since I quit smoking now, and no, it's not a miracle: I'm still a Norwood 7 and people at work did not notice a change. It's very subtle. But facts are facts: hundreds or new hairs are growing where it was bald for years... Of course, on a Norwood 7, hundreds of new hairs is not a game changer and the new hairs are mostly appearing at the back and on the sides. Some at the top of my head, but few (kind of maybe changing me slowly into a NW6 if it continues that way). New hairs do not look as strong as "regular" ones, but they are not "fuzzy baby hairs" either. They are new hairs.

I don't expect to turn from NW7 to NW3, not even probably to NW5, BUT the fact is that stopping smoking cigarettes had a clear impact on my scalp. It is less dry, I can almost feel the skin is thicker. So my guess is that blood flow increased, oxygen and nutriments are now delivered the way it should be on my follicles.
I also read that cigarette could have a impact on raising DHT, so maybe my DHT level dropped somehow because of this, I don't know.
Maybe stopping cigarette had the same impact as a little PRP on me? I is possible?

All I'm saying is: cigarette can have a huge impact on your hairloss (of course it depend of the person.)
I read plenty of times that it can increase MPB, but I never read anywhere that once you stopped smoking you can actualy grow new hairs (even if few of them). I suppose I still had some follicles that were "ready to start" a new growing phase and were just waiting for the scalp to be ealthy again (?)
I also suppose that it is easier to spot new growth when you're completly bald, cause, well, if you turn from zero to three hairs, you'll noticed the three hairs, lol!

Looking back, the progression of my MPB was stronger and stronger the more I smoked cigarettes. Obviousy the genetic factor is strong too. Lots of family members have it. But a lot of family members also are or were huge smokers... The genetic factor is also to be be understand in a certain environment. Would my grand father have been a NW7 too if he never smoked cigarettes? Well, maybe he would just have been a NW4 or 5, who knows.

Anyway, just thinking out loud here. I'm probably not as good a specialist in MPB as many of you on this forum.
Just wanted to share my story because I think that if the medications against MPB that some of you are taking do not work, you can never be sure that it is because you are not a good responder or because your body simply can't deliver the drug to your scalp because you're smoking too much...
So first step to deal with hair loss would be to stop smoking.
Just to be sure, you know.

Since I stopped smoking I now try to eat healthier food, make more exercices, try to take good care of my scalp with various oils, etc.
I don't think it will be the case, but IF I'm seeing more and more new growth in the months to come I'll maybe post pictures.
I'm perfectly fine the way I look shaved, but hell, new hairs growing just because of a change of life style?
Bring'em on!

[HairRequired]

I wonder whether it's the lack of nicotine from not smoking that possible helps decelerate MPB?

I use an e-cigarette these days, and still get the same level of nicotine as I've always done. Consequently, I've noticed no difference.

[Odam]

I would be agreeing on most of part here. I quit cigarette around 3 years back for the same reason. Sadly, there is not much research done on quitting smoking and chances of hair regrowth as it is done on bad effects of smoking on hair health. Smoking could not be sole factor in your hair loss. Since you mentioned family history for MPB, I am not surprised in your case. Quitting would probably slow down your hair loss. But if it’s MPB genes, everything will contribute to thinning. You'll lose your hair no matter what you do if you have MPB. It is fact that there are people who doesn’t smoke and still lose. Are you on any drug treatment? Finasteride and Minoxidil should be your best bet.
No doubt, quitting is good for our overall health and congratulations for that!!!

[Jedgreen]

Odam, thanks for your reply but I don't think you understood the purpose of my post. (or maybe I was not clear enough)

I'm a NW7 and I shave my head, I don't worry about losing more hair (cause I can't lose more hair! That's the "beauty" of it somehow...). I never took medications for hair loss.
I did not stop smoking to see possible effects on my hair but just because I had enough of the slavery. The hair thing was a surprise.
I'm just sharing a story that shows that smoking can have a huge impact on your hair. Not just because I suppose that it increased my genetically predisposed MPB but because I am actualy growing (few) new hairs after quitting smoking. So it proves the negative effect of cigarette on (my) scalp.

Will I grow a lot of new hairs because I stopped smoking? Surely not enough to make a real difference and make me stop shaving regulary. And I'm not saying every smokers will see their hairs growing back after quitting. Far from it. In the best case scenario I'll reach the point where I should have been if I did not smoke. Maybe NW6? But even that is pure speculation (and I'm not even sure that the new hairs that grow now will stay for many years either.)
But the fact that I'm growing hundreds of new hair is not a speculation and proves the bad effect of smoking (at least on me).

Like I said, I never read that stopping cigarettes could have such an impact on anyone so I thought it worthed to open a thread about it.