Premature Greying of Hair

Hair and skin play an essential role in human communication. Hair length, colour, and style have a huge impact on how people look and feel about themselves. Humans are the only primates with exceptionally thick, long, and coloured scalp hair. Given the importance of hair in social communication, premature greying of hair or canities has a substantial negative impact on the affected individual’s appearance, self-esteem, and socio-cultural acceptance. Sometimes, it is regarded as a sign of advancing age, as well as a lack of health and vitality. Affected people are subjected frequently to societal stigma, prejudice, and marital troubles.

Canities, or hair greying, is a chronological ageing process that affects people of all races and genders. Greying occurs at different ages depending on race and ethnicity. Hair is said to grey prematurely if it happens before the age of 20 years in Whites, 25 years in Asians, and 30 years in Africans. Greying in men commonly starts at the temples and sideburns. Later, it spreads to the vertex and the rest of the scalp, with the occiput being the last to be affected. The hairline of most women begins to grey at the edge. The rate at which a person becomes grey depends on heredity. Kinships with noticeable early greying are not rare.

Premature greying of hair can be caused by various causes, ranging from heredity to environmental factors.

Hereditary – Hereditary is one of the most common causes of premature grey hair in men, women, and boys (and girls), and if your family has a history of it, you are more likely to follow in their footsteps. The greying gene develops from birth onwards, and once it manifests itself, there is no way to undo what has already occurred.

Low or No Melanin Production – Pheomelanin and eumelanin are two pigments produced by melanocytes in hair follicles. These pigment molecules combine to give humans their natural hair colour, but with time, production from Melanosomes on a cell’s surface reduces them, which means that as one lives, their look can change to grey or white depending on whether there are more of one type than another.

Stress – Anyone, at any time, can be affected by stress. When you are under stress, whether it is emotional, physical, or both, the type of stress you are experiencing will impact how your body feels and looks, as well as what kinds of moods or behaviours you develop. This, in turn, contributes to the premature greying of hair.

Lack of Nutrition and Vitamin Deficiency 

– Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin that supports the nervous system, brain function, and heart muscle development. It also aids in the creation of red blood cells. This means we need it because our bodies are mostly composed of water (approximately 90%), proteins such as those found in fish or meat, and minerals like potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure.