Why does gray hair appear?
Gray hair appears when:
- lack of vitamins and nutritional components for hair;
- hereditary predisposition;
- age-related changes in the body (melanin production decreases with age, 74% of people from 45 to 65 years old have gray hair);
- smoking (smokers are 2.5 times more likely to have gray hair than non-smokers);
- the use of drugs that suppress melanin production;
- stress, prolonged emotional overstrain.
Why do men and women go gray differently?
- Graying begins differently in men and women - they have different areas that are most susceptible to this process. In men, the temples and beard areas are first affected; gray hair appears earlier and to a greater extent than in women.
In women, graying begins in the parietal-occipital areas and in the hair growth area. Gray hair does not appear in a continuous layer, but sporadically, and subsequently its number increases.
Sometimes in men and some androgynous women, graying as an aging process occurs along with androgenic alopecia, that is, male pattern hair loss.
Does stress cause hair to turn gray?
Hair can turn gray from stress. During nervous overstrain, there is a strong release of adrenaline into the blood, which disrupts the connection of melanin with the protein structure of the hair. As a result, melanin is neutralized or washed away, which leads to the appearance of gray hair.
High levels of stress cause hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's rapid reactions to dangerous events. This leads to accelerated depletion of stem cells, which are responsible for hair color.
How stress and nutrition affect gray hair
- Stress provokes the formation of free radicals in the skin (oxygen-containing molecules with one missing electron - note from “Paper” ), which can damage skin cells - melanocytes. As a result, the cells' ability to produce melanin is reduced. As a result, graying may begin at an earlier age.
A lack of B vitamins affects the biochemical processes of melanin synthesis, which leads to a decrease in its production by melanocyte cells and to premature graying. However, in this case, the appearance of new gray hair can be stopped if the vitamin balance in the body is restored.
There is an idea that early graying of hair can be affected by poor environmental conditions, but this is not entirely true. Environmental factors can damage the hair structure, but their effect on the graying process has not been proven.
In St. Petersburg, ultraviolet radiation has virtually no effect on the appearance of gray hair - here it is in short supply. But in other cases, ultraviolet light can cause the formation of damaging agents (reactive oxygen species) and damage skin cells - melanocytes. This, for example, happens in the southern regions.
Is it possible to pull out gray hair?
Gray hair should not be pulled out. When pulled out, the follicle (hair root) is damaged, and this disrupts the structure of the new hair. In addition, at the site of the torn hair, a kind of wound is formed, which can become infected. This can lead to dermatological diseases of the scalp.
If you pull out a gray hair, a new one, also gray, will grow in its place. But if there are few gray hairs, they can be carefully cut off at the root. This will quickly and effectively help eliminate the aesthetic defect.
What are the causes of early graying of hair?
Early gray hair can be caused by:
- genetic characteristics of the body;
- lack of vitamins and nutrients (biotin, vitamins B6, E and D, copper, iron, calcium, zinc, iodine);
- stress.
Premature graying of hair can be one of the signs of diseases:
- hyperfunction of the thyroid gland;
- hypovitaminosis;
- pernicious anemia, which develops with insufficient intake or absorption of vitamin B12 in the body;
- progeria (premature aging);
- albinism (complete or partial absence of melanin pigment in hair, eyes and skin);
- infectious diseases in severe form.
Early gray hair - causes and consequences
Unfortunately, early gray hair is the same marker of aging as atherosclerotic plaques or cyanide/pigment spots on the skin. Physiological graying is associated with the natural aging of pigment-producing cells. That is, melanin, which gives hair a natural healthy shade in the hair follicle, also has its own internal biological clock.
Impaired pigment production is explained by a decrease in the level of antioxidants and the amino acid cysteine, necessary for its production, as well as the accumulation of free radicals with a predominance of oxidative stress processes. In other words, for the normal production of the amino acid L Cystein, which predominates in the hair matrix, glutathione, the most powerful antioxidant in our body, is necessary. In conditions of deficiency of the latter, it becomes impossible to maintain the optimal level of cysteine and a decrease in the production of hair pigment occurs.
The result is gray hair.
The first gray hair in Caucasians may appear at the age of 25-30 years. Every decade after age 30, the number of gray hairs increases by 10-15%. That is, on average, a woman by the age of 50 will have approximately 50% gray hair (this is the norm).
No one will argue that a heart attack at 40 is not normal. And it is certainly not an indicator of good health. Likewise, if at the age of 40-50 there is not a single pigmented hair left, this is a reason to talk about premature aging. A completely gray woman under the age of 50 is a pathology.
Moreover, it has been proven that in gray patients the risk of a heart attack is twice as high as in those whose hair color has been preserved.
Causes of gray hair in women
The cause of gray hair in women can be hormonal imbalances. In this case, it is necessary to contact an endocrinologist and gynecologist, undergo diagnostics and, if necessary, a course of treatment.
Gray hair in women can appear due to regular use of curls and straightening irons, which cause thermal damage to the hair. Gray hair can also be caused by mechanical damage resulting from constant pinning of hair with hairpins and barrettes, as well as tying it up in a ponytail and braid. Therefore, women are advised to wear their hair loose.
How society's ideas about gray hair are changing
— Recently, there has been a trend towards naturalness in the field of cosmetology and aesthetics: both women and men strive to emphasize natural individuality. As a result, a more tolerant attitude towards gray hair has developed than, for example, in the 20th century, when gray hair was often painted over.
Nowadays, men often do not cover their gray hair at all, and some women consciously choose to wear gray hair. (For example, in 2015, a #grannyhair flash mob was launched on Instagram, in which girls deliberately dyed their hair silver - note from Papers .)
A large number of products for covering gray hair continue to appear on the market - this is a whole industry for cosmetic companies. At the same time, they are improving their products: they began to introduce conditioners that restore masks after dyeing, and add nutrients to the paint composition for a more gentle dyeing process.
Can gray hair go away?
It is impossible to restore the natural color of gray hair. In place of a gray hair, another gray hair always grows. But it is quite possible to prevent further development of gray hair. To do this, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- add foods rich in iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, magnesium and protein to your diet;
- avoid mechanical and thermal damage to hair;
- use natural hair care products;
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- Avoid stressful situations and nervous tension.
What to do if gray hair appears?
Dyeing will help get rid of gray hair. The most harmless paints are those of plant origin (henna, basma). If gray hair appears only in a few places, you can do partial coloring (highlighting, shatush) in ashy tones.
Gray hair can be covered with washable mascara or sprays to disguise gray roots. Tinted shampoo will also help solve the problem of gray hair. If these methods of solving the problem are not enough, chemical paints, the range of which is quite diverse, will come to the rescue.
To prevent the appearance of new gray hair, you can also use folk remedies. An alcohol tincture of red pepper, which can be bought at a pharmacy, helps stop the graying process and strengthen the follicles. It is recommended to rub the tincture into the scalp for a week.
A vitamin mask made from lemon juice and carrot juice will also help prevent the spread of gray hair. To make a mask, you need to mix lemon and carrot juice (1 tablespoon each) and rub the resulting mixture into the scalp. You need to keep the mask for 30 minutes, then you can wash it off. The procedure should be repeated regularly.
To prevent further graying, you can use mesotherapy, which is more effective than paints and folk remedies. During mesotherapy, vitamin cocktails and nutritional components are introduced into the scalp.
The benefits of mesotherapy include:
- long-term effect of the procedure (lasts up to 1.5 years);
- introduction of active substances directly into the affected area (scalp), due to which vitamin cocktails penetrate deep into the skin and intensively nourish hair follicles;
- acceleration of hair growth;
- improving blood circulation in the scalp;
- rapid effectiveness (the results of mesotherapy are noticeable within a month after the start of the course of treatment).
Gray hair can be not only a cosmetic defect, but also a sign of various diseases. Therefore, when gray hair appears, you need to think about the state of your health and consult a doctor who will help identify and neutralize its cause.
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Author: Kaspruk Elena Aleksandrovna
Dermatovenerologist. Highest category. Work experience 28 years.
Gray hair in young people: why and how to fight
According to trichologists, the normal age for gray hair to appear is after 40 years. But gray hair occurs even in 20-year-olds. What causes hair to turn gray early, is it possible to reverse this process? Let's figure it out.
All diseases are caused by nerves, but in the case of gray hair this is just a hypothesis. A study was conducted in Latin America in which 6,630 people participated. The goal was to test why gray hair appears. It turned out that emotional stress is not the primary factor influencing the formation of the melanin pigment that colors hair. The main causes are genetic predisposition and oxidative stress (cell damage due to oxidation).
Causes of early gray hair
Physiology
The amount of gray hair and the degree of its coloring is determined by the pigment melanin. Eumelanin makes hair black or brown, pheomelanin makes hair red. The less of this substance is produced in the follicles, the lighter the hair. And the gradual decrease and cessation of melanin production occurs due to hydrogen peroxide, which inhibits melanocytes (cells that produce the melanin pigment). Hair begins to grow discolored, which is why gray hair appears.
Genetic predisposition
All physiological processes in the body depend to one degree or another on genes, since it is in them that the work of all cells is programmed. Genes are passed on from parents. If one of them goes gray early, there is a high probability that the children will begin to go gray at about the same age.
Moreover, scientists see a connection between gray hair and race. For Europeans, it is normal for the first gray hair to appear after 25 years, for Asians - after 35, and for Africans after 40.
Thus, genetic predisposition is the main factor why hair turns gray. But she's not the only one. Much depends on lifestyle.
Bad habits
Drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, unbalanced diet, and lack of physical activity are factors that trigger premature aging of the body. Under their influence, oxidative stress begins. Free radicals (reactive oxygen species) destroy cellular structures and disrupt cell function. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most aggressive types of free radicals. It is under its influence that melanin synthesis is significantly reduced or stopped altogether.
Diseases
Violation of melanin production and, accordingly, early gray hair, both in women and men, can be a symptom of disease. These are vitiligo (skin discoloration), iron deficiency anemia, thyroid dysfunction, atherosclerosis and even gastritis.
Infections can also be attributed to the cause of gray hair. When the scalp is inflamed, the antioxidant protection in the follicle cells is disrupted, and free radicals begin to intensively destroy melanocytes.
Low levels of sex hormones are another factor why hair turns gray early. By eliminating hormonal imbalance, you can return some of the discolored hair to its original shade.
Micronutrient deficiency
All kinds of diets, especially those with few components, burn not only extra pounds, but also deplete the entire body. It is through nutrition that we receive essential minerals and vitamins. If there are not enough of them, early gray hair is quite possible. For normal functioning, hair follicles necessarily need omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, D and group B, and minerals such as iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and sulfur.
If you cannot do without a diet, you need to provide additional “feeding” of the follicles with microelements. There are specialized medications for this. For example, Selentsin tablets for hair loss normalize the functioning of the follicles as a whole. In addition to minerals, the drug contains the herbal component lycopodium, the effects of which include the prevention of gray hair.
Emotional stress
The reason why hair turns gray before the age of 35-40 may well be a strong nervous shock. Not just any feelings, but intense stress. When scared, a huge amount of adrenaline is released into the blood. This hormone literally bombards and destroys melanocytes.
Aggressive effects on the scalp
Every day we ourselves provoke earlier graying of hair. All aggressive beauty treatments affect the follicles, to a greater or lesser extent. Lightening and highlighting take precedence, since the basis of bleaching compounds is hydrogen peroxide. However, in general, all means and procedures for permanent hair coloring, curling, and straightening are aggressive.
The negative effects of beauty treatments can be reduced with the help of therapeutic skin care products. See the compositions of shampoos, balms, masks, lotions. For example, caffeine and menthol have a beneficial effect on the follicles - they tone the scalp, stimulate blood flow to the follicles, thereby increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients. Of the plant extracts, nettle is considered the best for gray hair.
How to deal with gray hair
Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely get rid of gray hair. It is useless to pull out whitened hair, since the same, colorless ones will grow in place of the removed ones. So what to do if gray hair is already striking.
The fastest and most effective measure is painting (essentially camouflage). It is optimal to use gentle dyes - tinting shampoo and/or balm, aerosol cream with a masking effect, camouflage gel, tint powder or mascara to darken the roots/temples. Shampoos and conditioners work more or less for a long time, up to a couple of weeks. And all other listed remedies are washed off immediately.
Only permanent hair coloring with gray hair lasts a long time, up to 2 months. It is undesirable to use dye with ammonia, this has the most aggressive effect on the hair. To reduce harm, choose ammonia-free cream paints with various useful additives, for example, collagen or a vitamin complex.
Don't forget that colored hair needs special care. Products with keratin, biotin, panthenol, collagen are good - these substances restore the structure of damaged hair, envelop the hair shafts with the thinnest protective film, and prevent fragility and split ends.
Gray hair prevention
Everything is commonplace - a balanced diet, quitting smoking and alcohol, regular exercise, calmness in stressful situations and careful hair care.
A simple home prevention is a mask against gray hair, for example, made from nettle or burdock oil. Rub it into the scalp, put a cap on top and leave for 30-40 minutes. It’s even easier to use any ready-made mask to nourish the follicles - this one doesn’t need to be kept for so long, it is easily washed off from the hair. But what’s more important is that ready-made masks are much more effective - the active components undergo specialized processing and become maximally bioavailable (that is, they can penetrate directly into cells).
Cosmetic and hardware procedures can be used to support follicles. Scalp massage, mesotherapy, darsonval improve root nutrition and indirectly help stop hair graying.
Mesotherapy is the delivery of active components directly to the follicles using injections. The doctor selects medications for a specific problem, including the treatment of early gray hair. The procedure is painful and quite expensive. As an alternative, you can use peptide hair treatments. These are short parts of protein molecules that easily penetrate the skin and trigger self-healing processes in cells.
As you can see, it is quite difficult to get rid of gray hair that has already appeared, but you can delay its appearance. The best prevention is a healthy lifestyle. As well as strengthening follicles with the help of specialized procedures, preparations and care products for healthy hair.
This is interesting
A group of Spanish scientists has reported that early graying of hair predicts healthy longevity. The peptide glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, is involved in the synthesis of melanin pigment. Dysfunction of melanocytes releases glutathione. It is redirected to maintain the health of the cardiovascular system and protect the body from the development of malignant neoplasms.
