Can air pollution make you bald?

Several news agencies are today reporting research that appears to suggest that, in addition to everything else, air pollution may cause (or contribute to) baldness. More precisely it seems that fine particular matter in the air that we breathe may cause hair loss. One article goes further and suggests that men living near busy roads are particularly vulnerable!

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is also reporting the finding through its EurekAlert! website ~ see here.

The research described was presented at the 28th EADV Congress in Spain earlier this week and found that fine particulate material in the air can interfere with a body’s production of proteins (β-catenin, cyclin D1, cyclin E and CDK2) that are responsible for hair growth and hair retention.

The lead researcher on the study, Dr Hyuk Chul Kwon (Future Science Research Centre, Republic of Korea) opined “[w]hile the link between air pollution and serious diseases such as cancer, COPD [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and CVD [Cardiovascular disease] are well established there is little to no research on the effect of particular matter exposure on the human skin and hair in particular. Our research explains the mode of action of air pollutants on human follicle dermal papilla cells, showing how the most common air pollutants lead to hair loss”.