Why Hair Goes Gray

Graying hair is a telltale sign of aging. Rarely, it can happen to children and young people as well. Studies reveal that 40 years is the average age in which hair starts to change colors for American people. The exact causes of hair graying have not been conclusively proven yet. There are several streams of theories and hypotheses regarding hair graying. Many scientists believe that genetics is a major factor. The defect of premature graying of hair is usually transmitted to the next generation through genes.

Causes Of Hair Graying

One can broadly classify hair graying into two types. The first is obviously related to aging, while the second is related to some other specific causes that are almost always associated with some diseases and unhealthy conditions. Examples include malnutrition and diseases such as albinism, vitilago, Werner syndrome, and pernicious anemia. The graying caused by malnutrition can be reversed if the person starts taking food with sufficient nutritional content. External factors such as excessive smoking might also cause premature graying.

Scientists have been researching about the exact chemical or physiological process that takes place when the color of hair changes to gray. They have made great progress, but have not yet found the clinching evidence supporting any of the theories so far. There are two kinds of theories that have been endorsed by a large number of scientists. The first one is associated with the increasing hydrogen peroxide content in hair and the other is associated with the loss of melanocyte cells from hair. It is not known now whether these two phenomena are inter-related or they occur independently of each other.