When your hair cells lose melanin, which gives your hair color, you get white hair. If you’re getting white hair at a younger age, it could be because of your genes or a health problem.
Is it normal to have white hair?
As you get older, it’s normal for your hair to change. You might have had a full head of brown, black, red, or blonde hair when you were younger. As you get older, you may notice that your hair is getting thinner in some places or that it is turning grey or white.
Your body has tiny sacs called hair follicles that hold skin cells. Melanin cells make up the color of hair shafts. The color of your hair comes from these cells. But over time, hair cells can lose color, which can make hair turn white.
What makes young people get white hair?
People with darker hair can see white hair better than those with lighter hair. Even though white hair is a sign of getting older, it can happen to anyone at any age, even when you’re in high school or college. If you are in your teens or twenties, you might find one or more white hairs.
There may be ways to get colour back, but it depends on what caused the loss. Here are some common reasons why hair turns white too soon.
1. Heredity
How you look has a lot to do with when (or if) you get white hair. If you start getting grey or white hair at a young age, it’s possible that your parents or grandparents did too.
Genes can’t be changed. But you can always colour your hair if you don’t like the way your grey hair looks.
2. Stress
Stress happens to everyone from time to time. Some of the effects of long-term stress are:
sleep problems
anxiety
change in hunger
blood pressure too high
Your hair can also be hurt by stress. A study done in 2013 found that worry causes stem cells in the hair follicles of mice to die off. So, if you’ve seen more white strands in your hair, worry could be to blame. This idea could also explain why some world leaders seem to get older or grayer faster while they are in office.
3. Autoimmune disease
Early white hair can also be caused by an allergic disease. This happens when the defense system of the body fights the body’s own cells. In baldness and vitiligo, the immune system can attack hair and make the skin lose color.
4. Thyroid disorder
Changes in hormones caused by a thyroid problem, like hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, could also cause white hair to show up early. At the base of your neck is a butterfly-shaped gland called the thyroid. It helps control a lot of things in the body, like the metabolism. The color of your hair can also depend on how healthy your thyroid is. If your thyroid is too busy or not active enough, your body may make less melanin.
5. Vitamin B-12 shortage
A lack of vitamin B-12 can also cause hair to turn white at a young age. Your body needs this vitamin to work well. It gives you energy and helps your hair grow and stay the color you want it to be.
A lack of vitamin B-12 can cause pernicious anemia, which happens when your body can’t receive enough of this vitamin. Red blood cells, which bring oxygen to all the cells in your body, including hair cells, need vitamin B-12 to be healthy. A shortage can make hair cells weaker and change how much melanin is made.
6. Smoking
There is also a link between smoking and getting white hair before you should. One study with 107 people found a link between getting grey hair before the age of 30 and smoking cigarettes.
Smoking cigarettes makes you more likely to get lung cancer and heart disease. But the long-term effects can affect more than just the heart and lungs. They can also affect the hair. When you smoke, your blood vessels get smaller, which can cut off blood flow to your hair cells and cause you to lose hair. Also, the toxins in smokes can hurt parts of your body, like your hair cells, which can lead to white hair growing out early.
Can white hair be stopped?
Depending on the reason, you may be able to stop or stop white hair from happening. If it’s because of your genes, there’s nothing you can do to stop it or make it go away for good.
If you think you might have a health problem, see a doctor to find out if white hair is caused by something else. If you fix the health problem that caused the color, it might come back, but there are no promises.
According to one study, if a thyroid problem causes your hair to turn white, it may get darker again after you get hormone therapy. Getting shots or pills of vitamin B-12 to make up for a lack of it may also improve the health of your hair cells and help you get your natural hair color back. If worry or smoking causes white hair, there is no proof that the color will come back after the person stops smoking or reduces stress.
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