Six common causes of premature grey hair.

Six common causes of premature grey hair.

What causes grey hair?

Let’s find out first what gives our hair a particular color. There is a range of colours which different people have. It varies with certain human races. There is a lot of variation found in human hair color, that’s mainly because of the presence of the same pigment in our hair follicles that gives a particular color to our skin as well. This particular pigment is called melanin produced by certain cells called melanocytes.

Melanin is of two types depending on the colour they show in your hair.

 Eumelanin:

Eumelanin causes the color darker in shade ranging from brown to black.

Pheomelanin:

Pheomelanin is found in people with a lighter colour of hair ranging from red to blonde.  

The hair is made up of keratin, a protein that makes the structure of hair and nails. As the hair form from hair follicles, the melanocyte cells inject pigment melanin into the hair giving it a certain color.

Now, what causes grey hair?

For years the melanocytes keep injecting the melanin pigment into the keratin making up the hair structure. With age, the production of melanin is lowered and results in the gradual greying of hair.

Average age to develop grey hair

It is normal for all people to have grey hair after the age of 30. Actually, it is different for different races of people. Black people start developing grey hair in their early forties or mid-forties. White people may start getting grey hair a bit earlier like in their mid-thirties or late thirties. if the greying of hair is happening to you at this time of your age, it is perfectly normal but if greying of hair starts earlier than that then you must be worried and must find the possible cause for the greying of hair.

 

What causes grey hair?

The hair follicle is one of the most metabolically active regions of our body, as they continuously keep making keratin for hair even at a very old age. The growth of hair and production of new keratin for hair may not completely stop even after the forties but it diminishes significantly. But the variations are present as some people may start hair loss earlier in their thirties. Losing hair early means less formation of new keratin as compared to the rate of loss of hair. 

Causes of premature grey of hair:

The hair may start getting grey earlier because of many factors.

Nutritional deficiencies:

As we have discussed before hair follicles are one of the most metabolically active regions of the body. The body requires a supply of nutrients to maintain this hair growth. Lack of any of these important nutrients will cause the loss of hair or the graying go hair.

Tyrosine amino acid, making up the structure of hair:

·         The main structure of hair is a protein made up of the amino acid tyrosine, called keratin. Keratin is a non-essential amino acid made from phenylalanine in our body.

Non-essential amino acid means the amino acids which our bodies can synthesize and it’s not required to include in our diet. But normally many proteins in our diet already contain this protein amino acid tyrosine. Tyrosine is found in chicken fish, nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc. you can add these into your diet to have more tyrosine, as with age many metabolic processes slow down.                                                                                                                                                                                                

·         2^nd important nutrients are vitamins like vitamin B-6 B-12biotin, folic acid, vitamin D, and vitamin E. the supplements containing these nutrients can help avoid premature greying of hair. \minerals like zinc, calcium, copper, and iron also cause the greying of hair.

Is Genetics involved in premature grey hair?

Graying hair is a process controlled by genes as well. So you must look into the age when your parents start getting grey hair. If you have the same genes inherited by your parents, you may experience greying of hair as early as your parents experienced.

The gene responsible for greying of hair is K/A- IRF4 on chromosome number 6, responsible for premature greying of hair.

Does stress cause grey hair?

Stress is a significant factor in the premature graying of hair. The sympathetic nervous system is activated by stress, and this results in the release of chemicals like cortisol.

Likewise noradrenaline. The melanocyte stem cells present in the hair follicle are depleted by the overproduction of noradrenaline. In a hair follicle, stem cells resemble the parent cells of melanocytes. Graying of hair results from a decrease in melanocyte number, which also causes a drop in hair pigmentation. For this reason, many people report having white hair after experiencing a stressful event like the death of a loved one or relationship problems, etc. Try to control your stress by incorporating everyday activities like yoga, meditation, and exercise

Does sun exposure cause grey hair:

Too much sun exposure can turn your hair brittle, and dry and can lead to premature greying. The sun produces UVA and UVB rays which negatively affect your scalp. This damage can result in premature greying of hair. The sun has a tendency to lighten hair colour. Because our hair is dead skin beyond the scalp, the active melanocytes in the hair follicle don't defend the hair shaft exposed to the sun.

So the hair is forced to fend for itself, thereby becoming bleached and damaged.

So, vitamin & mineral deficiencies, genetics, thyroid disorders, smoking, chemical hair dyes, and sun damage are among the most common causes that lead to grey hair.

Smoking causes premature grey hair;

According to an Indian Journal, research describes smokers are 2.5 more likely to get premature grey hair as compared to common people.

Another research from the American Academy of Dermatology same results has been found out.

The explanation is that smoking can cause free radicals to harm the melanocytes that make melanin, which is similar to a process proposed for stress.

Chemical hair dyes

Chemical hair dyes and hair products can contribute to premature hair graying. Many of these products contain harmful ingredients that decrease melanin production and can lead to greying of hair. Use henna or herbal dyes (product photo) to colour your hair. They do not contain harmful chemicals that damage the hair.

Thyroid disorders:

Thyroid disorder is one of the causes of premature grey hair in females generally.

Hyperthyroidism causes dry and dull hair, with weak shafts and rough texture along with premature greying of hair.