Scientists have explained whether it is possible to turn gray overnight

Scientists say there is a link between stress and graying hair, but the idea that hair can turn gray overnight is more myth than reality.

It is noted that most often extreme events change hair color over several days or months. The biological basis for this phenomenon was revealed during the study. The researchers found that stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes permanent damage to the pigment-producing cells in the hair follicles.

Read also: Why do hair turn gray and is it possible to restore color without dyeing: a scientific explanation

The reason stress cannot cause your hair to turn gray overnight is because of the way hair grows. Hair color is determined in the follicle before the hair grows and becomes visible.

Once a strand of hair has grown out of the scalp, its color cannot be changed. Therefore, a sudden or rapid change in hair color is not possible, as it requires the loss of all hair and its replacement with new gray hair, which is a long process.

It is noted that the phenomenon where people perceive a rapid change in gray hair, often during times of stress, is usually associated with a condition called telogen effluvium.

"This condition causes darker (older) hair to fall out predominantly, leaving behind gray or white hair and giving the impression of sudden graying," the researchers say.

Коли випадаюче волосся відростає, воно може бути сивим або мати свій первісний колір.

When the hair grows back, it can be gray or have its original color.

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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