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.
Some research has suggested that gray hair may grow in color again. However, this depended on specific factors, including reducing emotional stress or undergoing treatment for an underlying health condition. More research is needed to find out whether gray hair can be reversed.
Gray hair typically starts to appear in a person's mid-30s for Caucasians, late 30s for Asians, and late 40s for African Americans. However, the onset of gray hair can vary significantly based on genetics, lifestyle, and health factors.
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.
As Khetarpal explains, the body releases noradrenaline when it's under acute stress -- when there's some immediate emotional or physical threat present, or traumatic event unfolding (like, say, a global pandemic). Noradrenaline can speed up the heart rate, make palms sweaty, and, apparently, cause graying.
If the cause of greying is genetic, it is not possible to reverse the process, no matter what some marketers on the internet claim. In case of nutritional deficiencies and underlying medical conditions, you can gradually slow down or even reverse the process.
Premature graying may be reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation only if vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause. If you are graying due to other factors, such as genetics, zinc deficiency, and medications, your gray hair cannot be reversed.
Or are they permanent? Dr. Yang: With short-term stress, there is always some reversibility. But the longer the person is under stress, the more permanent the wrinkles become.
It has long been thought that reversal of gray hair on a large scale is rare. However, a recent study reported that individual gray hair darkening is a common phenomenon, suggesting the possibility of large-scale reversal of gray hair.
Melanin is what gives your hair (and skin) its natural color. People of African descent, Thai, and Chinese people, go grey more slowly.
So, gray hair is not actually a color resigned to the elderly. Gray hair is a natural color that many young people are masking. And, with the right hairstyle, gray hair doesn't have to look frail or frumpy.
There's no hard-and-fast rule about when (or if!) you should stop coloring your hair and go gray; it's ultimately a personal choice.
Several natural methods, particularly those that reduce stress, may help you to naturally reverse premature grey hair. These include exercise, mindfulness practices, healthy sleep habits, and building a supportive social network. A balanced diet may also help if your grey hair was caused by nutrient deficiencies.
Simply put, biological age reflects the current condition of the body. Chronic stress can make you age faster by increasing your biological age, which can lead to health problems on top of cosmetic skin concerns. However, some researchers suggest that biological age can fall once again after a stressor subsides.
There's an oft-repeated myth that pulling out one gray hair causes ten more to grow in its place. That's not true—but it's still not a good idea to pluck your grays. While yanking out a stray gray or two may not seem like a big deal, over time, it can become one.
Your glands produce more oil when under stress, which can cause acne to worsen in people who are prone to outbreaks. Stress can also be a trigger for skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, causing the conditions to flare-up. Stress can have a large impact on how our skin ages.
In women, depression often appears in the form of sadness, for example, exhibiting a depressed face that doesn't align with their typical appearance, or feelings of worthlessness and guilt. But in men, it may manifest as irritability and anger.
Context: 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.
Vitamin A, C and B12 are the most needed vitamins to increase the melanin production in your hair. Add citrus fruits like oranges, grapes, pineapple, and melon to your diet. Also eat vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beans, etc. Non vegetarians can try adding red meat, chicken liver, fish, and eggs to their diet.
That said, certain conditions may temporarily restore pigmentation. For example, if greying is caused by a vitamin deficiency, stress, or an underlying medical condition, addressing these issues may slow or even partially reverse greying. However, the complete reversal of naturally aged hair remains a challenge.
The average age of onset of hair graying appears to be mid- to late forties; however, this varies with race, with the average age for Caucasians being mid-thirties, that for Asians being late thirties, and that for Africans being mid-forties.
In humans, thyroid hormone may reverse graying by repigmentation of terminal hair. Follicular melanocytes may be the target cell for these actions.