Watan-Hair graying is often considered a sign of aging, but a report published by Live Science raised questions about whether it is possible to delay its appearance or restore the original hair color.
Preventing Premature Graying: Focus on Superfoods
The report mentioned that while a small study conducted in 2021 suggested that this might be possible in very specific and short-term scenarios, the resounding response from dermatologists specializing in scalp and hair health is that it is likely not possible or, at best, not permanent.
The Arrow of Time
Martin Picard, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at the Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center in New York, stated, “The arrow of time moves in one direction, and hair loses its color for reasons that do not seem reversible.”
Picard was one of the researchers involved in the 2021 study published in the journal eLife, which explored the role of stress in advancing graying and its short-term reversal across a wide age range.
A Two-Week Vacation
In the study, researchers examined individuals with strands of hair that were dark at both ends but gray in the middle. They found that periods of reduced stress were associated with a temporary reversal of graying. For one participant, taking a two-week vacation was linked to hair repigmentation.
The Myth of Marie Antoinette
Contrary to the famous story of Marie Antoinette, whose hair allegedly turned white overnight before her execution, it is important to note that a single day or a handful of stressful days does not determine hair color. According to Dr. Antonella Tosti, professor of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami in Florida, environmental factors may have a greater impact than individual stressful events.
Oxidative Stress
Dr. Tosti explained that “oxidative stress, such as smoking or pollution, definitely increases the risk of graying.” She added that incorporating antioxidants into one’s daily routine—such as consuming antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries or pecans—can effectively combat the risk of graying, especially if it is still in its early stages.
The Role of Antioxidants
Some evidence supports the idea that a diet rich in antioxidants can reduce the effects of aging by helping to minimize cell and DNA damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals occur naturally in the body and can also be caused by external factors like smoking, UV exposure, and pollution.
Genetics and Daily Stress
Unfortunately, reducing personal and environmental stressors will not completely prevent hair from turning gray. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, noted that more than half of people will start to go gray by the age of 50.
For individuals with a genetic predisposition to early graying, genes likely play a more significant role than stress management. Dr. Zeichner added, “I have never seen gray hair revert to its natural color, which may indicate a permanent change in the hair follicles themselves.”
A Potential Research Avenue
Although there are currently no fully effective treatments or solutions for gray hair, experts are not giving up. One potential avenue for future research involves understanding what happens to melanocytes—the pigment-producing cells in hair responsible for color—in gray hair. Scientists previously believed that melanocytes died as people aged.
However, findings from a study conducted on lab mice, published in Nature in 2023, revealed that melanocytes may simply cluster at the root of hair follicles and stop migrating upward along the hair strand to provide pigmentation.
Dr. Tosti suggested that with medical treatments, there might be a possibility to reactivate these melanocytes to darken hair again. However, no current procedure can achieve this.
A Preventive Approach and Temporary Solutions
Dr. Zeichner mentioned that treating oxidative stress could be another pathway by enhancing enzymes that combat free radicals on the scalp through topical antioxidant applications. For now, however, non-medical treatments like hair dyes remain the best option for reducing the appearance of gray hair.
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