cure

I always thought baldness was hereditary. Turns out there might be environmental factors at play too—new research from the University of London suggests that men living in polluted areas are more likely to go bald than those living in cleaner areas, the Telegraph reports.

“We think any pollutant that can get into the bloodstream or into the skin and into the hair follicle could cause some stress to it and impair the ability of the hair to make a fibre,” says Mike Philpott from the school of medicine at Queen Mary University of London. “There are a whole host of carcinogens and toxins in the environment that could trigger this. It suggests that if you stop smoking or live in an area with less air pollution, you may be less predisposed to hair loss.”