GREY HAIR why does your hair go grey as you get older?

Answer 1

A change in hair color typically occurs naturally as people age, usually turning their hair from its natural color to gray, then to white. More than 40 percent of Americans have some gray hair by their fortieth birthday, but grey hairs can appear as early as the teens and twenties for some, or even in childhood. The determination of when someone begins graying, whether it comes with aging or prematurely, seems to be almost entirely based on genetics. Sometimes people are born with gray hair because it is passed down genetically.

The change in hair color is caused by the gradual decrease of pigmentation that occurs when melanin ceases to be produced in the hair root, and new hairs grow in without pigment. Two genes appear to be responsible for the process of greying, Bcl2 and Mitf. The stem cells at the base of hair follicles are responsible for producing melanocytes, the cells that produce and store pigment in hair and skin. The death of the melanocyte stem cells causes hair to begin going grey.

There are no special diets, nutritional supplements, vitamins, nor proteins that have been proven to slow, stop, or in any way affect the graying process, although many have been marketed over the years. This may change in the near future however. French scientists treating leukemia patients with a new cancer drug noted an unexpected side effect: some of the patients' pre-gray hair color had been restored.

Many people use hair dye to disguise the amount of gray in their hair.

A 1996 British Medical Journal study conducted by J.G. Mosley, MD found that tobacco smoking may cause premature graying. Smokers were found to be four times more likely to begin graying prematurely, compared to nonsmokers in the study.

Answer 2

Melanin is the same stuff that makes our skin's color fair or darker. It also helps determine whether a person will burn or tan in the sun. The dark or light color of someone's hair depends on how much melanin each hair contains.

As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color - like gray, silver, or white - as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely grey.

Answer 3

As many have said already, Melanin gives coloring etc. but its not only when you get older that you hair goes grey, people (as young as 20) who have had severe trauma or shock (death for instance) can go grey overnight.

Answer 4

This is because the level pigment(Melanin)which is responsible for the colouration of hair is significantly reduced when we grow old and hence the hair loose colour and turn grey.

Answer 5

Hair relies on vitamins (B, I think) to help it produce pigment, so when your body stops being able to metabiolise the vitamins as effectively, the grey starts coming through.

Answer 6

sam has the how down pat.
your skin also looses its elasticity and starts to wrinkle (gravity). if the hair is dark (no grey) our skin would look really old. have you ever noticed older women who color their hair dark look older that they really are? the dark hair on skin that's loosing elasticity and melanin pulls out each wrinkle and makes it look deeper and darker than it actually is.
your hair and skin loose the melanin (at the same time/rate , typically) .to make us age gracefully (or as gracefully as possible)

Answer 7

It goes grey because it becomes hollow so there's nothing inside it to give it colour.

Answer 8

Momma said it's because the little ink wells in your hair follicles dry out.

Answer 9

Because your body stops producing the coloring agent.

Answer 10

hair looses its colour pigments as you grow older