What is the impact of alcohol on hair health?

Excessive alcohol consumption dehydrates the body as it stimulates exudation. This can lead to the drying out of hair fibres, which become dull and brittle. However, it should be noted that the degradation of hair quality does not manifest immediately after a glass of alcohol. Indeed, the impact results from excessive, abusive and regular alcohol consumption. It can also be triggered by the accumulation of other aggravating factors with alcohol. These can include, among other things, an unbalanced diet or increased sedentary behaviour.

The termalopeciais the scientific term used to describe abnormal hair loss. As a reminder, losing hair is natural: on average, we lose between 50 and 100 hairs per day. However, when this loss is significant (more than 100 hairsper day) and over a long period (several months), it is abnormal and can be classified as alopecia.

Alcohol and alopecia are not directly linked, but alcohol consumption can lead to other bodily disruptions that may cause hair thinning or loss.

Excessive alcohol consumption imposes additional workload on the liver, which can lead to a liver dysfunction. This organ then struggles to absorb other nutrients, particularly those essential for hair health. These include iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12. This type of vitamin is crucial for the formation and regrowth of hair strands.

Alcohol can also be the cause of delayed protein synthesis. This process involves the conversion of nitrogen contained in amino acids into useful proteins. If alcohol consumption is excessive, these proteins cannot reach the hair roots.

Finally, excessive alcohol consumption is linked to hormonal disturbances, particularly of the thyroid. This can lead to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, both of these imbalances can cause hair loss.

• James Gatherwright & al., The contribution of internal and external factors to male hair loss: a study of identical twins, Plast Reconstr Surg, (2013).

• Balhara YPS, & al. Impact of alcohol use on thyroid function. Plast Reconstr Surg, (2013).

• Kil MS, et al. Analysis of serum zinc and copper concentrations in hair loss.Ann Dermatol. (2013).