I have a four year old daughter who is going grey. I would like to know of any possible causes and remedies!?

Answer 1

are u sure its grey and she isn't going mousey brown a little darker than blonde ,grey at the age isn't right get her to a doctor incase something is happening with body as well

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
I have a four year old daughter who is going grey. I would like to know of any possible causes and remedies!?

Answer 3

I got a grey streak when I wa 4 years old on the left side of my head! Mum was worried and consulted doctors and hairdressers. It ended up that I was in a fight at school and my hair had been pulled from the roots. I still have the streak today, but no other effects. I hope this alleviates your concerns. To be on the safe side, consult your doctor or hairdresser.

Answer 4

Look in your family history. Somewhere in there, someone greyed at a really young age and this gene has been carried onto your daughter. However, I've never heard of a child so young becoming grey so soon.

Answer 5

I can't remember what it's called but I've heard of an extremely rare disease where kids look like elders but really they act like kids but they have strokes and stuff.. or maybe she just has a darker hair color than brown but not black? Take her to a doctor. If something worsens or she gets weird symptoms and the doctor cannot help keep finding doctors. If doctors do not help ask a professional on hair. I hope she is okay!

Answer 6

i have a 16 year old redhead i found a grey hair at 2 years old and still find the odd couple. as far as i am aware it is quite common and nothing to worry about.

Answer 7

It might be a birthmark. A friend of mine had a grey bit and a kid i teach at the moment does, unfortunately my grey is cos i'm old

Answer 8

My friend's daughter is 6 and wakes up in the middle of the night with leg pains, and she was even doing it when she was 4 too. Her Mom is a nurse and says it's growing pains, and so does her pediatrician. You can check with your Dr., but my guess is that growing pains are what it is. Gentle massage can help the pain and get her back to sleep.

Answer 9

I never heard of this. Have you taken her to a doctor? There is nothing that can be done about gray hair except to dye it but you cannot dye the hair of a 4 year old child. There has to be something wrong this sort of thing just does not happen.

Answer 10

There is something to do with a child going gray. Do an internet search on it. But it is also probably best to see a doctor about this as well.

Found this for you:
Children and Gray Hair
My 4-year-old son has had scattered gray hairs for about two years. Does he have a vitamin deficiency? Does this mean he will be prematurely gray? Debbie O'Leary Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana








Hair color is produced by tiny cells called melanocytes that live within the hair follicles. In the course of a lifetime, the activity of the melanocytes in each follicle begins to wane, resulting in gray hairs. Each individual's melanocyte-clock is different, but in Caucasians this reduction of melanocyte activity usually occurs earlier than in other groups. If gray hairs appear in childhood, this is called premature graying, or canities (pronounced kah-nish'-eez).

The appearance of gray hairs may be the result of a child's genetically determined maturational schedule. If so, it is likely (but not certain) that others in the family tree would have followed a similar schedule. If these others had scattered gray hairs in childhood, but did not progress to a full head of gray hair until later, then it is likely that your son would follow the same pattern. Gray hair can also accompany a number of uncommon familial syndromes, including neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis.

Several conditions can alter a child's preset melanocyte-clock. If these conditions are present for a short time, a few scattered gray hairs may be the result; if they persist, the graying is likely to progress.

The most common of these is vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is present widely in foods from animal sources. Dietary deficiency is difficult to achieve, unless a person is eating a strict vegan diet. Breast-fed infants whose mothers have B12 deficiency can also develop a transient deficiency. A lack of vitamin B12 can occur even in the face of adequate B12 intake. The body's ability to absorb and use B12 can be hampered by surgery involving the stomach or small bowel, diseases affecting the small bowel (e.g. regional enteritis, necrotizing enterocolitis, tuberculosis, diverticulosis, or fish tapeworms), or a congenital lack of the molecules needed to absorb B12 (intrinsic factor or Transcobalamin I, II, or III). A simple blood test can diagnose current vitamin B12 deficiency. If your son was deficient in the past, it will probably not be detectable, but neither will the graying progress.

Some anemias -- the megaloblastic ones (including the anemia caused by B12 deficiency) -- can produce gray hairs as an early sign. A simple blood test detects current anemia. As in the case of B12 deficiency, previous anemia is not easy to detect, but will not continue to affect your son's melanocytes.

Several thyroid disorders, particularly hyperthyroidism, reduce melanocyte activity while they are present. Disorders of skin pigmentation, such as vitiligo (which follows the destruction of melanocytes in the skin), can also result in a loss of hair pigmentation. A rare entity called Vogt-Koyanagi syndrome occurs in some children following a viral illness. In an attempt to fight the virus, the body makes antibodies that, unfortunately, also attack the melanocytes.

So, Debbie, it is possible that your son has a vitamin deficiency. It is also possible that the gray hairs are a visible sign of an important internal process. Gray hair in a child should be investigated. When I see a child with gray hairs in the office, I look to three sources to try to determine the underlying cause. First, I find out what I can about the family history. Next, I perform a thorough physical examination looking for helpful clues. Finally, I obtain three laboratory tests: a vitamin B12 level, a complete blood count (CBC), and a thyroid function panel.

Even if we are unable to identify any cause other than his own internal melanocyte-clock, you can readily mask the graying if desired. Although a number of effective chemical rinses and dyes are available, there has been some evidence that their use in children may contribute to later skin cancers. This risk is avoided with vegetable dyes.



Alan Greene MD FAAP

April 03, 1996
Reviewed by Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin MD September 2000




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