For everything, gray is always mysterious.
Each hair starts out as a little fluffy, and its color is determined by melanin, which is actually pigment dust. If it is full, you get black hair. Leave a few black and brown spots, and it looks blonde.
Over time, the pigment-producing cells in each hair follicle slow down or shut down, and the hair turns gray, said Desmond Tobin, director of the Charles Institute of Dermatology at the University of Dublin. These strands are relatively stiff and difficult to manage, growing 10 percent faster than colored hair. Some people accept them as part of aging; others see them as a nuisance to be dyed, loved or buried.
But scientists don’t know exactly what makes the blues go on or how much control we have over them. People may begin to fade in their 20s or retain their natural color well into their 80s. Although this process seems irreversible, researchers find that sometimes the color can return – with patches and dark roots.
Currently, there is no silver bullet to prevent or reverse graying, but experts are trying to solve the problem and come up with solutions.
What scientists know
Our hair doesn’t fall out all at once, that’s why you can see stray silver strands, and then you see a salt and pepper section. Some hairs can even lighten and darken again.
Each follicle is an independent unit, with its own pigment-producing cells called melanocytes and a collection of new stem cells. As we age, these cells naturally become damaged from factors such as stress and tissue wear and tear.
Gray hair usually starts when a certain melanocyte follicle is destroyed, but it becomes permanent when the stem cell pool is depleted, said Emi Nishimura, a professor of aging and regeneration at the University of Tokyo. Research suggests that if the first process occurs without the second, gray hair can be reversed.
In a small 2021 study, scientists collected hair from people who had started to fall out and found distinct dark and white bands. Because hair grows about an inch a month, these groups provided a timeline, so the researchers asked participants to chart their stressful experiences in the past year. Periods of high pressure correspond to light bands, and periods of low pressure correspond to bands where the color returns. In other words, lowering stress levels seemed to reverse or delay gray hair.
Some people with gray hair have also turned gray on their own after receiving certain types of chemotherapy, radiation or immunotherapy. Experts suspect that, in these rare cases, cancer treatment can call on inactive stem cells to rebuild viable melanocytes.
This research suggests that gray hair is not a complete process and that there is a “window of opportunity” when the loss of color can be reversed, said Dr Ralf Paus, a dermatologist at the University of Miami. How long that window remains open, and what can safely stimulate stem cells, is not yet clear.
What would you do?
Most gray hair is genetic, said Dr. Jessica Shiu, a dermatologist, so your parents and grandparents provide the best insight. The researchers also found that graying usually begins in the mid-30s for whites, late 30s for Asians and mid-40s for Blacks.
But lifestyle choices can also make a difference. The strongest evidence points to quitting smoking and reducing stress. Getting enough sleep and eating a healthy diet – rich in antioxidants – can also reduce the damage to your pigment cells, Dr Shiu said, although the evidence is more inconclusive.
Premature hair loss is also associated with low levels of iron and vitamin B12. There is no evidence that supplements help with graying.
Be wary of anti-aging supplements in general, Dr. Shiu said, as they are often sold on promise, not evidence. Even if these supplements have something to help, there is no evidence that taking a pill or applying a cream can reach the pigment cells inside the hairline.
Although there is no medical treatment for gray hair, talk to your doctor about graying suddenly or quickly, because a small part of the cases are related to medications or diseases prescribed by the doctor – and it can be reversed. For example, some anti-seizure medications, antibiotics, oral retinoids and muscle relaxants have been linked to hair loss. Many cancer drugs also cause discoloration, although there are rare cases of discoloration.
Doctors can also distinguish between age-related graying and the conditions that cause it. Thyroid and other hormonal disorders are associated with gray hair, as are autoimmune diseases that target the hair follicle, such as vitiligo and alopecia areata. Treatment can slow further loss of color and sometimes allow the color to return.
For most people, there isn’t much you can do to prevent gray hair, but making small changes can help. “It’s not crazy – it’s just living a healthy life,” said Dr. Shiu. – This article originally appeared on New York Times
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