Why hair turns gray and whether it is possible to restore color without dyeing: a scientific explanation

Sooner or later, everyone may face graying hair. This is a natural aging process that occurs in all people at different ages. The average age limit when hair begins to turn gray is around 35 years old. However, some people may experience gray hair earlier and others later.

Gray hair is associated with a decrease in the number of melanocytes that produce the pigment melanin. Melanin is responsible for hair color. When the number of melanocytes decreases, the hair loses its color and turns gray.

Scientists explain that hair turns gray due to a variety of factors, including age, genetics, environmental factors, stress, diet, and health.

Hair turns gray as a natural part of aging, but there are several other factors that affect when the hair itself starts to turn gray.

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The time for graying is not the same for everyone. Genetics play an important role in determining when and to what extent your hair will turn gray. This process is influenced by certain genes, such as Bcl2 and Bcl-w, which regulate melanocyte survival, and the IRF4 gene, which is linked to hair color and graying time. If your parents or grandparents turned gray early, you can expect the same.

Environmental factors such as pollution, smoking, and ultraviolet light (UV) accelerate the graying process by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage melanocytes.

Diet is another factor that affects hair graying. Vitamins B 12, D, E, and biotin, as well as minerals such as copper and zinc, are essential for healthy hair and melanin production. Deficiencies in these nutrients contribute to premature graying.

Some diseases are also associated with premature graying. These can include vitiligo, thyroid disorders, pernicious anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, tuberous sclerosis, focal alopecia, neurofibromatosis, and drug use.

Medications that affect hormonal balance can also affect hair color.

Scientists say there is a link between stress and gray hair. Stress affects hormones, inflammation, and the behavior of melanocyte stem cells. Chronic stress eventually causes melanocyte stem cells to fail, leading to irreversible hair color changes.

Is it possible to get rid of gray hair without dyeing your hair

It is noted that in most cases, gray hair is untreatable. However, in some situations, hair can return to its original color.

In some cases, graying is reversible, especially when it is associated with stress or nutritional deficiencies. For example, re-pigmentation of hair has been observed after severe stress or trauma has been eliminated. Similarly, treating vitamin B 12 or other nutrient deficiencies sometimes restores hair color.

Read also: These colors will add years: how better not to dye your hair

The medical field has also seen progress in treatments that have the potential to slow or reverse hair graying. A drug called tofacitinib, which is primarily used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has the potential to restore hair color in patients with alopecia. However, further research is needed to establish its effectiveness and safety specifically for gray hair.

"Usually gray hair cannot be restored after a certain point. Genetics, chronic stress, and environmental factors cause changes that become the new normal," the report says.

As a reminder, scientists at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine believe they have found the reason why human hair loses its color as we age.

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