Dermatologist explains how air and water pollution are silently damaging your hair and skin; shares tips to protect them
Every day, our hair is exposed to countless environmental aggressors, from polluted air heavy with dust and smog to hard or contaminated water that strips natural oils. Over time, this exposure can lead to weakened strands, breakage, hair fall, dryness, and even scalp issues. Understanding how these factors affect hair health is key to preventing damage. (Also read: Kareena Kapoor’s nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shares 3 foods to beat bloating, dryness, dandruff and other winter woes )
How air pollution affects your hair
Pollution is the silent culprit behind hair loss, and many don’t even realise it,” warns dermatologist and hair transplant expert Dr Gaurang Krishna. He further shares with HT Lifestyle insights from his clinic on how air and water pollution are increasingly impacting hair health and what can be done to protect your locks.
“Let me start with a scene I witness almost every week in my clinic. A young professional walks in, worried, clutching a handful of shed hair as if it were evidence from a crime scene. ‘I eat healthy, I exercise, I don’t even colour my hair… so why is this happening?’” Dr Krishna recounts. “The answer, more often than we’d like to admit, is outside their front door, floating in the air, running through their taps. Yes. Pollution, the silent culprit.”
“Tiny particulate matter, PM2.5, PM10, settles on the scalp every time we step outside. You can’t see it or feel it, but it clogs hair follicles, causes inflammation, and weakens roots from within. In some patients, I’ve seen the scalp behave almost like irritated skin, red, itchy, and stressed. The hair becomes brittle, loses shine, and then starts falling, which then never stops,” Dr Krishna explains.
Can water quality really trigger hair fall
He adds, “And the water, that’s another story altogether. Hard water, heavy with minerals, chlorine, and metal contaminants, turns a gentle shower into a daily assault. Over time, the scalp’s natural barrier is disrupted, hair shafts swell, and then snap. Some people assume they’re just ‘shedding more this season.’ It’s not the season. It’s the water.”
Dr Krishna recalls, “I once met a 19-year-old with visible thinning. He wasn’t sick, stressed, or doing anything ‘wrong.’ He lived near an industrial belt, and his hair was simply reacting to the air he breathed and the water he washed with. That’s all.”
How to protect your hair
“Should you panic? No. Should you pay attention? Absolutely. Simple steps can help, cover your hair outdoors, use clarifying shampoos weekly, install basic water filters, and keep the scalp clean yet moisturised. And if hair fall persists, consult a dermatologist early. Don’t wait until you see your scalp peeking through; by then, the damage needs more work to reverse,” Dr Krishna advises.
“Hair loss today is not just genetics or age. It’s environmental, it’s modern life, and it’s a silent epidemic growing strand by strand. And unless we acknowledge it, unless we talk about it, we might find more people walking into clinics, holding their fallen hair, asking the same question again and again: ‘Why is this happening to me?’ The answer might already be in the air and in the water,” Dr Krishna concludes.
Tips to protect your skin
“High particulate matter and airborne chemicals cause oxidative stress and free radical damage. This happens when the body has fewer antioxidants than needed, leading to cell and tissue damage,” explains Dr Geeta Fazalbhoy Mehra, Dermatologist and Managing Director & Founder of Skin & You Clinic, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
She further shares with HT Lifestyle, “Oxidative stress is a major factor in how pollution harms our skin and cells. To put it simply, oxidative stress occurs when our bodies have too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants to neutralise them,” she adds. “Free radicals are unstable molecules that come from sources like pollution, smoke, and UV rays. When pollution particles settle on our skin, they release these free radicals,” Dr Mehra explains.
“Hair damage is another consequence. Pollution can make hair dull and fragile, leading to easy breakage, a dry scalp, and hair loss. It can also aggravate the scalp, causing itching, infections, and further hair fall,” she warns.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
