Having lower levels of vitamins and minerals can be associated with getting gray hair prematurely, according to a Cosmoderma article published in December 2021. The study noted that a lack of calcium, copper, ferritin, and zinc could lead to early gray hair. Another possibility is a vitamin B12 deficiency, Dr.
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.
Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of prematurely graying hair. Researchers have noted that vitamin B-12 deficiencies are often concurrent with folic acid and biotin deficiencies in people whose hair has started to turn gray early.
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.”
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
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.
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.
Many men and women experience hair loss and early graying when their hormones are no longer balanced. Hormone changes can occur for many reasons such as stress, significant weight loss or weight gain, an illness you've had, or pregnancy.
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.
There are no treatments that are proven to treat (or reverse) gray hair. As researchers learn more about how the graying process happens, they may develop effective medications and treatments for gray hair.
The one word answer to this question is “no”! Plucking white hair does not give you more white hair. Each of your hair strands grows out of a single hair follicle. So if you pull out the white hair only one hair can grow back in its place and possibly it will be white too.
There's a commonly held belief that if you pluck it, many more grays will follow in its wake. This is actually a myth—what you do to a single strand can't spread like contagion.
Does gray hair from stress go away? Research from 2020 suggests that graying hair is a permanent effect of stress. Once the melanocyte stem cells are lost, you can't regenerate pigments anymore.
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.
They found that noradrenaline, also known as norepinephrine, was key to stress-induced hair graying. By injecting noradrenaline under the skin of unstressed mice, the researchers were able to cause melanocyte stem cell loss and hair graying. Noradrenaline is produced mostly by the adrenal glands.
“In patients with hair-loss or premature graying, I will check a CBC (complete blood count). If they are anemic (have a low red blood cell count), it may be due to a vitamin, usually B-12 or folate, or mineral, namely iron, deficiency,” says Dr.
Vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin production. Goddard says that vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.
Don't assume that grey hair makes you look older
Hair naturally loses pigment as we age, but stylist Paul Falltrick points out that the notion that grey hair makes you look older is increasingly becoming a misnomer: "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.
It's totally normal to start going gray in your 20s and 30s, just thank genetics. If you're ready to fully embrace gray hair, you can kick off the transition at home and at the salon. Fortunately, it's possible to make the transition — you just have to be patient!
It can be a shock to find your first gray hairs on your head, especially if you're only in your 20s. But women's expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones says a few gray hairs is perfectly normal, even for women in their late 20s and early 30s. However, stress, genetics and other factors can play a role.
Graying hair and coronary heart disease share some of the same mechanisms that come with aging. A new observational study links the two events, suggesting that gray hair may be an indicator of heart disease.
Apart from that, people who suffer from acidity, liver problems or thyroid disease will also experience premature greying due to an unbalanced body chemistry. Those white strands on your head in your 20s are also the result of leading an unhealthy lifestyle.