Premature Grey Hair

No matter how hard we try, one thing which we can never hide is aging. There are visible signs that begin to appear, such as, the fine lines on our face and the hair begins to lose its natural lustre turning into grey. And there is no better way for getting older to show itself than through grey hairs. Our hair usually changes its color from the natural black color in the late 30s. Some might be able to retain their black color till they reach 50’s or 60’s but going gray as such is an inevitable part of aging.

However, gray hair at times can be very embarrassing among the younger generation which makes them look older than they actually are. Graying before their age is generally referred to as premature graying of hair but many prefer to call it as either ‘salt and pepper’ or ‘the new found gravitas’. But the fact remains that your hair is prematurely graying.

One of the common traits among most of the people is that our hair starts graying as early as in the late 20s. But some of us fail to notice it immediately. The onset of gray hair among the Caucasian in their late teens and before age 30 in Africans and Asians is referred to as premature graying of hair. Depending upon the person’s hereditary, diet and other aspects, the speed at which people go gray, varies.

With the advancing age, the hair has a natural tendency to lose its natural color. And this could be due to the gradual decline in the production of pigment and melanin in the hair bulb. The hair is a part of the skin and so has the same kind of cells that are found in the outer layer of the skin. The source of lustre, nutrition and black color of the hair is the oily substance known as sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands of the scalp.

Premature graying of hair either runs through the family which is hereditary or can be a result of improper diet. Since the hair cannot be fed with the required nutrients externally, the scalp must receive proper nourishment from the blood stream. Excessive intake of meat, oily greasy, spicy sour and acidic food, alcohol, coffee or tea possibly can reduce the moisture and nutrients, which may in turn lead to premature greying of hair.

When the melanocytes begin to generate less pigment, the hair strand looks slightly transparent in appearance, which when seen against the dark hair appears gray. Comparatively, grey hair has some pigment than white hair, which has no pigment at all but not as much as red, black or brown hair. The graying of hair is a gradual process as not all hairs respond the same way. Gray hair shows its first appearance near the temple and gradually spreads to the crown and moves towards the back.