Why does hair gray early? The doctor named 6 non-obvious reasons

Some people go gray slowly, hair by hair. For others, the head turns gray almost simultaneously. There are also different shades of gray hair: from dark gray to snow-white. All these are individual peculiarities.

Candidate of Medical Sciences, Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics SITILAB

Age is the main, but by no means the only cause of gray hair.

To begin with, let’s understand why hair changes color with age. Initially, our hair is transparent, and its color is given by the pigment melanin. With age, the production of this pigment decreases, the hair first dulls and then turns gray. And this is not always caused by age-related changes.

Genetics

The most important factor that determines when you face silver temples is heredity. And this is one of the few causes that we are unable to influence. If one of your parents had gray hair before the age of 25-30, there’s a high chance that you’ll experience the same thing.

Race

Race matters too. Caucasians are the earliest to turn gray (around age 30). Mongoloid races usually turn gray later, starting at age 40. And negroids are the last to gray, usually after the age of 50.

Lack of important substances

Deficiency of vitamins and minerals, improper, poor nutrition are of particular importance for the aging process. Beautiful, thick and young hair requires many nutrients. It is important to maintain sufficient levels of zinc, copper, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium. By the way, how to recognize the deficiency of the latter, told in the material at the link.

It should be remembered that both deficiency and excess of substances are harmful to the body. Therefore, do not prescribe vitamin complexes yourself. To begin with, you need to check the available level of substances in the blood and only on the basis of the results of tests to select the drug and dosage together with a doctor.

Diseases of the thyroid gland

The endocrine system controls all metabolic processes in the human body, and disorders in the thyroid gland can affect the work of melanocytes (cells that produce melatonin). In case of early graying, it is worth taking the appropriate tests to rule out this cause.

Stress

During stress, huge amounts of adrenaline are released into the bloodstream, which interferes with the absorption of melatonin. Prolonged stress can indeed cause early gray hair and in general has an extremely negative impact on the body. However, no one (well, almost) goes gray at one point. Stories about someone waking up with a completely gray head after severe stress are a myth.

Harmful habits

Smoking also accelerates the aging process, tobacco smoke, tar and carcinogens are harmful not only to the lungs and skin, but also to the hair. To prolong their youthfulness and keep them in good condition, it is important to take the right care. Especially after training. How to do it, told in the article at the link.