You probably know a drunk guy with a perfect head of hair. Hell, there are plenty of drunken homeless dudes with lush, flowing locks. That said, it does appear that there is a link between heavy alcohol consumption and hair loss. I’ll explore the booze-baldness link in this article, citing various studies and expert opinions.
Can Alcohol Consumption Cause Hair Loss?
From what I’ve gathered, alcohol use doesn’t typically cause hair loss, but it can expedite the balding process, especially in people who are predisposed to pattern hair loss. Does baldness run in your family? If it does, heavy drinking may worsen or accelerate your condition.
Study on Hair Loss and Alcohol Use
A 2011 study conducted on 90 male and 98 female sets of twins found that alcohol use may play a role in exacerbating hair loss, especially in men. Other factors that seemed to influence hair loss included smoking, stress, and sun exposure. According to Bahman Guyuron, MD, who piloted the study, “twins are genetically destined to have the same number of hairs” (source). So if one twin has less hair than the other, outside factors such as smoking and stress are to blame.
Theories on Why Drinking Causes Hair Loss
Heavy alcohol use can deplete minerals that are necessary for healthy hair, including zinc and iron. Dehydration may also play a role. The more we drink, the more we urinate, and our ability to process nutrients is compromised as a result. This can negatively affect our hair growth cycles and cause our hair to thin as it becomes dry and brittle.
Anthony Bourdain is a prolific drinker and he still has his juvenile hairline. Former President Obama has his own White House ale. He also appears to have a juvenile hairline. Hair loss is mostly genetic, but outside factors like drinking can exacerbate hair loss in people who are prone to genetic pattern baldness.
The Silver Lining
In the aforementioned 2011 study, researchers concluded that adopting healthier habits helped bring hair back for some of the participants. So if you cut out the binge drinking, quit smoking, and work to minimize your stress, you may be able to reverse your hair loss to some extent.
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.