Grey hair causes a concern to most males and females alike though not all share the same cause for concern. Firstly, it reinforces the fact that you are getting old and if you are in denial, well the facts are starring in your face and it ain’t pretty! Secondly, you can no longer deny it or correct someone without being looked at with suspicion if he or she addresses you as uncle or worse grandpa! Well, if it makes you feel better, Richard Gere looks very dignified with grey white hair!
Grey hair causes
What are the causes of grey hair? To answer the question, we need to look at two primary reasons of greying hair.
1). Natural – As one grows older or ages, certain body changes are inevitable. And it is these body and hormonal differences that contributes to one of the main two grey hair causes. Our hair grows constantly at the rate of a few mm per day subject to differences among individuals. The organ responsible for this is none other than the hair follicle itself. When we reach a certain age, the hair follicles deposits less and less pigment responsible called melanin for the hair colour into the hair formed and this causes the hair to “lose colour”. The cells responsible for this melanin deposition are called melanocytes. In fact if you look closely at a strand of white hair, you will realize that it is actually not pure white but rather translucent. If you examine grey hair closely or under a microscope, you will realize that it is not actually “grey” but actually black (or whatever colour your hair is) interspersed with “colorless” spaces. Henceforth what causes the grey tinge or hue is actually the lack of pigments within hair that causes the eye to register it as “grey”.
2). Medical reasons – If grey hair presents early before the normal onset of 50, it is termed premature greying and this is usually a medical condition due to the inability of the melanocyte stem cells (MSC) to maintain the production of melanocytes therefore reducing melanin produced and henceforth grey hair. Two common premature grey hair causes are vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid hormone imbalance.
What can you do?
If you are in the age range for greying hair, then there is nothing to worry! You are just aging gracefully and there is nothing wrong with that. There are hair coloring products anyway on the market for you to use if you want that “younger look” so fret not!
If you think you are suffering from premature grey hair causes, then its best to consult your physician or a trichologist. They are the best people to diagnose you and correct the underlying condition if any. There are available medications to correct or reverse greying hair such as Melancor. Please kindly consult your physician before trying any medication or if in doubt.
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