Grey hairs are a sign of old age, but many people start having grey hairs in their 20s and 30s, why?
While many people postulate stress, anxiety and diet as one of the reasons hair turns grey, there might be an actual scientific reason.
A group of researchers at New York University Langone Health studied the ageing of cells using specialized scanning and lab methods in mice whose fur colour is determined by the same cells. to find out why hair turns grey.
The real reason hair turns grey
The reason why hair becomes grey with age may be due to pigment-producing cells that are unable to grow.
It all begins with melanocytes which are cells that give hair its natural hair colour - for Africans, that’s black or brown - and help with hair growth.
Melanocytes can regenerate or degrade and affect skin and hair. In people whose hair have gone grey, stem cells, which are used to create new ones, are thought to become "stuck" in limbo.
Melanocytes can get tired of working overtime. Many melanocyte stem cells become ineffective as hair ages, sheds, and then continuously regrows.
The stem cells cease moving about the follicle and settle down, failing to develop into fully developed melanocytes. The hair becomes silver, white, or grey when no pigment is created.
They claim that the research could serve as a foundation for reversing the greying process and the treatment of other diseases.