Grey hair is often perceived as a normal progression of aging, but it can become a concern when it occurs in the 20s or even in teens. Premature greying of hair (PGH), also referred to as canities, pertains to the initiation of formation of grey-white hair any time before the age of 20 years in Caucasians, 25 years in an Asian, and 30 years in an African (Trüeb, 2005). Though not usually associated with any serious medical problem, the matter of premature greying can affect self-esteem and the question of whether or not it indicates something about one’s health, genetics, and lifestyle. 

Understanding Hair Pigmentation

Melanin is the pigment that colors the hair, produced by tying melanocytes in the hair follicles. There are two types of melanin: eumelanin (black or brown) and pheomelanin (yellow or red). Most such proportions give a natural hair color. With age, the activity of melanocytes goes down; therefore, the production of melanin starts reducing, thus resulting in greying or whiteness of hair. Premature greying is when such alterations tend to occur somewhat earlier. 

Causes of Premature Grey Hair

  1. Genetics: Genetics is a major player in when you turn grey. If your parents or grandparents turned grey early, chances are you might too. Studies have shown that familial tendencies are a big player in PGH (Bhat et al., 2013). 
  1. Oxidative Stress: Oxidative stress arises when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. This condition may prove harmful to melanocytes and accelerate the greying process. Hydrogen peroxide is a waste product that occurs in the normal metabolic processes of hair; it accumulates in the hair follicle and bleaches the hair from within, particularly when antioxidant defenses are weak (Wood et al., 2009). 
  1. Nutritional Deficiencies: Deficiency of some vitamins and minerals has been associated with early greying. Some examples of these vitamins include vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, copper, and zinc. One of the manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency involves the incomplete functioning of melanocytes (Daulatabad et al. ,2016).  
  1. Autoimmune Disorders: Autoimmune conditions such as vitiligo and alopecia areata may give rise to PGH. This occurs when the immune system, while functioning normally for everything else, mistakenly damages pigment-producing cells, which turns hair gray or leaves some patches of hair depigmented. 
  1. Smoking: A number of different studies have shown that there is a very close association between smoking and premature greying. Smokers are more than twice likely to develop PGH than non-smokers (Mosley & Gibbs, 1996). 
  1. Stress and Lifestyle: Clearly, grey hairs are not simply the result of stress, but rather chronic stress may produce oxidative damage and hormonal imbalances that help to speed its progress. Sleep deprivation, bad diet and sedentary lifestyle may also play an indirect role. 

Common Myths Debunked

“Plucking one grey hair will cause more to grow.” 

This is a widely believed myth. Only that particular follicle is affected by plucking the gray hair. However, it may damage hair follicles when being repeatedly plucked, which will eventually thin or lose the hair. 

“Grey hair is only caused by stress.” 

Stress might contribute but it is hardly the only cause. The genetic order and biological activity play a far stronger role in how hair color changes. 

“Coloring hair causes premature greying.” 

 The hair dye will influence only the shaft, not the follicle. It does not induce melanogenesis. However, strong chemicals have a current cumulative effect and cause hair to become weak. 

Management and Treatment Options

  1. Nutritional Supplements: When lab tests show deficiencies, these can be rectified using diet or supplements. For example, nutritional PGH has improved in a few select cases with the use of vitamin B12 and iron supplements. 
  1. Topical Antioxidants: Topical formulations with catalase and other antioxidants are undergoing investigation for combating oxidative stress in hair follicles; however, the evidence is still emerging. 
  1. Cosmetic Solutions: It is a difficult task to reverse PGH, so the available options of cosmetic solutions, such as hair dyes, henna, and grey hair coverage sprays, can be helpful and effective in resolving the problem. Natural hair colors or ammonia-free products are also less damaging alternatives. 
  1. Stress Management: So many cultures have regarded yoga and similar practices as the best kind of body workout and deep meditation that, if requested to reverse greying, they would assure a healthier body and delay the greying period. 
  1. Emerging Therapies: Melanocyte regeneration is being targeted through research on peptides, stem cells, and gene therapy. While these options may present future solutions for PGH, their applicability remains limited at present. 

When to See a Doctor

These are some of the signs that could indicate the presence of disorders causing gray hair, such as fatigue, weight changes, or hair loss. Therefore, you should see a dermatologist or healthcare provider. The tests will be able to tell if there are nutritional deficiencies, thyroid problems, or autoimmune conditions that could be contributing to this. 

It is true that greying at an early age is quite distressing but quite harmless. This, however, does not stop one from getting to know the various causes of greying so that you may understand whether it is due to the genetic factor, nutritional or lifestyle causes. Though quite impossible to reverse grey hair, a proper lifestyle coupled with proper care may slow down the changing appearance of the head and give you general well-being with your hair. 

References

  1. Bhat, R. M., Sharma, R., Pinto, A. C., Dandekeri, S., & Martis, J. (2013). Epidemiological and investigative study of premature canities in India. International Journal of Trichology, 5(1), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-7753.114700 
  2. Daulatabad, D., Taneja, N., & Sarkar, R. (2016). Premature graying of hair: Review with updates. International Journal of Trichology, 8(3), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-7753.188057 
  3. Mosley, J. G., & Gibbs, A. C. (1996). Premature grey hair and hair loss among smokers: A new opportunity for health education? BMJ, 313(7072), 1616. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1616a 
  4. Trüeb, R. M. (2005). Oxidative stress in ageing of hair. International Journal of Trichology, 3(2), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-7753.77502 
  5. Wood, J. M., Schallreuter, K. U., Joshi, S. S., & Sies, H. (2009). Senile hair graying: H2O2-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 129(4), 824–829. https://doi.org/10.1038/jid.2008.417 

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