Scientists have issued stern warnings about global warming and its impact on health, noting that climate change could harm hair.
Extreme heat, humidity, air pollution, all factors associated with the climate crisis affect the quality of hair and skin, and can lead to baldness.
It turns out that intense heat changes the structure of the proteins that make up hair and damages the cuticle, according to Longevita trichologists.
Aside from leaving the hair dry, brittle and prone to breakage, it may also lead to visibly split ends, which may cause further damage to the hair as it grows.
For those who live in very humid conditions, the proteins in the hair do not absorb water molecules evenly, causing hair strands to swell and bend unevenly.
This causes hair to frizz and can make it more prone to breakage.
Pollution from diesel car fumes and burning fossil fuels leave harmful pollutants in the air, which in turn damage hair growth proteins.
According to Longevita, people in urban areas are particularly at risk as dust and pollutants settle on the scalp, clogging pores and depriving them of oxygen.
According to Professor Fuat Yüksel, a plastic surgeon at Longevita, climate change has a negative impact on skin health. He said: “Warmer climates have increased the incidence of skin infections. Air pollutants can also lead to the emergence of skin irritations such as eczema and psoriasis. It also increases the risk of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, all of which affect the skin and hair associated with it.”
Research conducted three years ago provided similar conclusions, as researchers tested the effect of dust and fuel particles on human scalp cells.
In this study, the team exposed human follicle cells to various concentrations of fine dust particles with a diameter of 10 micrometers or smaller diesel particles.
The study, funded by a South Korean cosmetics company, found that exposure to common air pollutants reduced levels of four proteins responsible for hair growth and retention.
“We looked at the science behind what happens when cells at the base of hair follicles are exposed to common air pollutants,” senior researcher Hyuk Chul Kwok said. “The research was conducted in a laboratory, so more research needs to be done to understand how quickly this affects people who are regularly exposed to pollutants in the their daily lives.”
“It is possible to hypothesize that at certain levels of exposure this can lead to baldness, but more population-based research needs to be done to confirm this.”