Some lifestyle causes of premature greying are smoking, faulty diet, stress and unhealthy hair care methods. Other grey hair reasons are Vitamin B12 deficiency, hormonal imbalance and early menopause.
Stress can cause hair to gray prematurely by affecting the stem cells that are responsible for regenerating hair pigment. The findings give insights for future research into how stress affects stem cells and tissue regeneration.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.
Dr. Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.”
Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color — like gray, silver, or white — as it grows.
Does lack of sleep send my hair grey or white? Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on many aspects of the body, not only can it lead to tiredness and lack of concentration, but longer term effects such as your immune system and stress. Stress has been proven to cause grey hair as mentioned above.
For men having white hair was a sign of distinction, hinted at nobility, and was even a sign of virility. It couldn't have been more different for women. It was a sign of their deterioration with age, and the end of their fertility.
Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.
And while it may seem intuitive that stress can accelerate graying, the researchers were surprised to discover that hair color can be restored when stress is eliminated, a finding that contrasts with a recent study in mice that suggested that stressed-induced gray hairs are permanent.
Iron deficiency can also lead to grey hair. Iron is a vital mineral that helps create haemoglobin – the substance found in RBCs. Lacking an adequate amount of iron means lesser blood cells, which leads to insufficient oxygen supply to your scalp. Naturally, this causes grey hair at a young age.
On occasion, gray hairs can be a sign of illness, such as thyroid disease or alopecia areata (a common autoimmune disorder). If you have other tell-tale signs, such as balding patches, let your healthcare provider know. However, don't panic — these are rare and little cause for concern.
om weak or dead hair follicles, lack of a proper sleep cycle can also cause your hair to grey faster than it would normally. That's because the hormonal imbalance that follows when you're not sleeping properly, makes your body produce less eumelanin, the pigment that makes your hair black.
Luke's Medical Center, points out that apart from aging, other causes of white or gray hair include genetics, stress, lack of nutrients, and autoimmune disorders. So if your parents developed white hair early, chances are you are prone to premature graying, too.
Stress itself doesn't cause sudden hair whitening. Over time, chronic stress may lead to premature gray hairs, though. You may also experience hair loss from severe stress.
Haircare products such as shampoos and conditioners may cause premature greying of your hair because they contain chemicals that reduce your melanin production. Bleaching agents and hydrogen peroxide ingredients in hair dyes can leave the hair white if used repeatedly.
Although this may seem like a permanent change, new research reveals that the graying process can be undone—at least temporarily. Hints that gray hairs could spontaneously regain color have existed as isolated case studies within the scientific literature for decades.
Premature graying hair and hair loss can be linked. However, one is not a sign that the other will occur. And, if both are happening, there may not be a link. In other words, it is important to look at other factors and determine what cause may be impacting your hair the most.
Rubbing fingernails also increase blood circulation to your scalp, which strengthens your hair follicles and in turn, prevents hair fall or greying. However, no scientific research has been conducted to substantiate these positive claims of Balayam.