Bad news for Just For Men. A study links graying hair to stem cells getting stuck, unable to color new hair growth. Stem cells travel back and forth within compartments, but when they get stuck in one compartment, they cannot regenerate into pigment cells.
As of now, there are no effective treatments that can reverse or prevent gray hair. New research shows that gray hair may be reversible to a small extent, but more studies are needed to look into this question further.
In most cases, once hair has turned grey or white, it cannot naturally return to its original color. This is because the melanocytes in the hair follicles stop producing melanin. While there are exceptions due to specific factors, regaining natural hair color without external intervention is rare.
However, reversing your grey hair is much less likely if you're older. To reverse grey hair, you need enough melanocyte stem cells (McSCs), which produce pigment cells (melanocytes) for your hair. These stem cells stop working with age, and hair greying is thought to be irreversible when they do [3].
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.
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.
Aging decreases the synthesis of melanin, which is the pigment that gives hair its natural color. Free radicals can accelerate this process, leading to premature gray hair. Since collagen has antioxidant properties that can combat free radicals, increasing your collagen intake may help prevent or slow down graying.
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.
Black people and individuals of African descent: you can expect to see grey hair in your mid-40s. White people: you are likely to go grey in your mid-30s. Asian people: your late-30s is when you begin to see grey hair. Latino and Hispanic people: you tend to start greying around your mid-30s.
Dan Belkin, a board-certified dermatologist. Belkin added that Gen Z isn't “aging” faster, but Millennials indeed are looking younger.
The pathogenesis of graying is multifactorial such as genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors. The risk factor of premature graying is a deficiency of micronutrient serum such as zinc, copper, and selenium.
Some may even continue to produce melanin, although they lack dendritic morphology and melanin transmission to the hair shaft 21. Thus, it is theoretically possible that a special therapy that reverses hair graying before all the hair bulb melanocytes and McSCs disappear can be developed in the future.
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.
We have previously published findings that, after the age of 50, humans are seldom with- out gray hair. At this age, around 50% of men and 30% of women are moderately or totally gray haired.
A review of research suggests that proper supplementation may reverse premature graying in those who are deficient in certain nutrients, including iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. However, even though some supplements are specifically sold as “anti-graying,” there aren't any studies that prove they work.
"Poor diets that are low in iron, vitamin D and the complex of B vitamins can play a role in the process of hair turning grey," Eva tells us.
There isn't a lot of medical data to back it up, but some research does show that magnesium deficiency may be behind some (not all) causes of gray hair. If this is the cause of your greying, then making sure your magnesium stores are optimal could stop or even reverse the greying of your hair.
It makes sense why this cultural ditch-the-dye conversation has largely been centered on women over 40, but here's the thing: It's also totally normal to get grays before reaching that milestone. In fact, research shows that people typically start seeing silver in their mid-30s to mid-40s.
Dr. Ilyas offered a few commonly held speculations as to why we might gray at the temples first. “Some say that because the hair is thinner around your temple area, it receives the most wear and tear,” she said.
Yes. Stress has been shown to speed up signs of aging — including gray hair. When you're stressed, your body has a fight-or-flight response and releases a hormone called norepinephrine. This causes the melanocytes — the cells that produce melanin — to move out of your hair follicles.
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.
Typically, White people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asian people in their late 30s, and Black people in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
One of the many facts about redheads is that their hair will never turn grey. The pigment in their hair that causes it to be red will just fade over time, causing their hair to turn blonde or white, but never grey.