Premature greying of hair

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Premature greying of hair is the process of greying of hair occurring at an unusually early age. It can have negative effects on self-confidence, self-esteem, and social acceptance of the affected individual. Hair is said to have greyed prematurely if it occurs before the age of 20 years in Europeans, before 25 years in Asians, and before 30 years in Africans. [1]

Contents

Cause

The cause of greying is not fully understood. It is a complex multi-factorial process mainly considered to be an interplay of nutritional, genetic and environmental factors.

Stress causing over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases noradrenaline release in hair follicles. This overproduction causes depletion of the melanocyte stem cells which are required to produce melanin, the pigment responsible for hair color. [2]

Premature greying of hair has been observed with greater frequency among certain families, suggesting a familial predisposition for the condition. As hair pigmentation is a result of complex interaction between various genetic factors, it is thought that premature greying could be due to exhaustion of melanocyte's capability to produce hair pigmentation. [1] Premature canities may occur alone as an autosomal dominant condition or in association with various autoimmune or premature aging syndromes. Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is characterized by features of accelerated aging including premature greying of hair and deficient DNA repair. [3] Premature greying needs to be differentiated from various genetic hypomelanotic hair disorders.

Smoking is another factor that is considered to be related to premature greying of hair. Smoking results in generation of huge amount of reactive oxygen species leading to increased oxidative stress culminating into damage to melanin producing cells, melanocytes. [4] [5] Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays is considered to initiate similar processes in hair follicles resulting in premature greying of hair.

Malnutrition

Nutritional deficiencies: [6] [7] [8]

Management

Melanocyte depletion from illness reversed with photobiomodulation Grey hair vs Now.png
Melanocyte depletion from illness reversed with photobiomodulation

If the cause is due to melanocyte stem cell interruption during the growth cycles due to stress or illness then the use of photobiomodulation for cellular rejuvenation may reverse the process. [9]

Topical anti-aging compounds that are currently under investigation include photo protectors, such as cinnamidopropyltrimonium chloride and solid lipid nanoparticles as carriers for UV blockers, oral supplementation with l-cystine and l-methionine, and topical melatonin. [5]

Prevalence

Reported prevalences were found to range from 5% to 33% in different populations. [10] However, some studies found a higher prevalence at 47% in a Thai university, [10] and 42.5% in a Saudi Arabian university. [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Pandhi, Deepika; Khanna, Deepshikha (2013). "Premature graying of hair". Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology. 79 (5): 641–653. doi: 10.4103/0378-6323.116733 . PMID   23974581.
  2. Clark, Shayla A.; Deppmann, Christopher D. (January 2020). "How the stress of fight or flight turns hair white". Nature. 577 (7792): 623–624. Bibcode:2020Natur.577..623C. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-03949-8. PMC   7653867 . PMID   31988402.
  3. Raji, N.S; Rao, Kalluri Subba (January 1998). "Trisomy 21 and accelerated aging: DNA-repair parameters in peripheral lymphocytes of Down's syndrome patients". Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 100 (1): 85–101. doi:10.1016/s0047-6374(97)00121-8. PMID   9509398. S2CID   19959276.
  4. Zayed, AymanA; Shahait, AwniD; Ayoub, MusaN; Yousef, Al Motassem (2013). "Smokers′ hair: Does smoking cause premature hair graying?". Indian Dermatology Online Journal. 4 (2): 90–92. doi: 10.4103/2229-5178.110586 . PMC   3673399 . PMID   23741662.
  5. 1 2 Trueb, Ralph M (2009). "Oxidative stress in ageing of hair". International Journal of Trichology. 1 (1): 6–14. doi: 10.4103/0974-7753.51923 . PMC   2929555 . PMID   20805969.
  6. Bhat, Ramesh M; Sharma, Rashmi; Pinto, Anita C; Dandekeri, Sukumar; Martis, Jacintha (2013). "Epidemiological and investigative study of premature graying of hair in higher secondary and pre-university school children". International Journal of Trichology. 5 (1): 17–21. doi: 10.4103/0974-7753.114706 . PMC   3746220 . PMID   23960391.
  7. Chakrabarty, Swagata; Krishnappa, PrafullaG; Gowda, DineshG; Hiremath, Jyothi (2016). "Factors associated with premature hair graying in a young Indian population". International Journal of Trichology. 8 (1): 11–14. doi: 10.4103/0974-7753.179384 . PMC   4830165 . PMID   27127369.
  8. El-Sheikh, AM; Elfar, NN; Mourad, HA; Hewedy, ES (November 2018). "Relationship between Trace Elements and Premature Hair Graying". International Journal of Trichology. 10 (6): 278–283. doi: 10.4103/ijt.ijt_8_18 (inactive 12 July 2025). PMC   6369637 . PMID   30783336.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
  9. Yu, Sebastian; Lan, Cheng-Che E.; Yu, Hsin-Su (February 2019). "Mechanisms of repigmentation induced by photobiomodulation therapy in vitiligo". Experimental Dermatology. 28: 10–14. doi: 10.1111/exd.13823 . PMID   30698884. S2CID   59412540.
  10. 1 2 Treesirichod, Arucha; Dhanasarnsombat, Chainwit; Thongsiri, Napat (2025). "Exploring premature greying of hair: A cross-sectional study on prevalence, psychological effects, and contributing factors" . Skin Appendage Disorders. 11 (3): 215–220. doi:10.1159/000543572.
  11. Almutairi, Rehab Taya; Dhafiri, M. A. (2019). "Premature greying of hair among the population of King Faisal University in Al-Ahasa, Saudi Arabia: An epidemiological study". International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries. 3 (6): 542. doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1549226311 .