At a Glance. 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 we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color — like gray, silver, or white — as it grows.
Harvard researchers have found that acute stress hyper-activates the sympathetic nervous system, which rapidly depletes the stem cells and leads to hair graying. (Image: Hsu Laboratory, Harvard University.)
Even teenagers and people in their 20s may notice strands of white hair. The human body has millions of hair follicles or small sacs lining the skin. The follicles generate hair and color or pigment cells that contain melanin. Over time, hair follicles lose pigment cells, resulting in white hair color.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s.
It's most common for graying to begin in your 30s, though some people spot a few grays in their 20s. If you think you're going gray unusually early, there are a number of possible reasons why. Smoking, for one, has been linked to the early onset of gray hair.
Stress itself doesn't cause sudden hair whitening. Over time, chronic stress may lead to premature gray hairs, though. You may also experience hair loss from severe stress.
Does lack of sleep send my hair grey or white? Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on many aspects of the body, not only can it lead to tiredness and lack of concentration, but longer term effects such as your immune system and stress. Stress has been proven to cause grey hair as mentioned above.
The hair can't actually turn white overnight, because all the hair is "dead", and the only way you can make its colour change is with dyes. Hair gets its colour from a chemical called melanin, which is pumped in by cells at the base of the hair follicle.
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.
Stress can cause hair to gray prematurely by affecting the stem cells that are responsible for regenerating hair pigment.
Genetics is usually the biggest indicator that you're likely to get white hair at a young age but other factors can speed up the process, too. As mentioned, you may have inherited your parents' predisposition of gray early. "Your predilection for graying is inherited as an autosomal dominant gene," says Dr. Ciraldo.
Genetics — Genetics plays a big role in how and when you go gray. So if your parents and grandparents went gray early, it's likely that you will too. This is why some people go gray in their 20s, while others don't see their first gray hair well into their 50s.
Your hair follicles produce less color as they age, so when hair goes through its natural cycle of dying and being regenerated, it's more likely to grow in as gray beginning after age 35. Genetics can play a role in when this starts.
Jesus cautioned His followers, “Do not promise by your head. You are not able to make one hair white or black” (Matthew 5:36 NLV).
This can lead to your gray hair to fall off as new hair is attempting to grow where hair is already there. Paired with the fact that gray hair is usually weaker than normal hair, you'll see a lot of shedding of gray hair.
Premature graying hair and hair loss can be linked. However, one is not a sign that the other will occur. And, if both are happening, there may not be a link.
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.