What is the scientific explanation of white hair?

Question

I ahve always wonder that. I'm 13 and I have white hair too! what is the scientific explanation of white hair?i'm obviously not getting old!

Answer 1

Hair follicles produce a color as well as the hair itself - sometimes the color-producing cells just die, leaving you with white hairs.

George Clooney has had white hair since his mid-30s. He's still pretty cool.

Answer 2

A change in hair color typically occurs naturally as people age, usually turning their hair from its natural color to grey, then to white.
More than 40 percent of Americans have some grey 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 greying, whether it comes with aging or prematurely, seems to be almost entirely based on genetics.
Sometimes people are born with grey hair because it is passed down genetically. Many people use hair dye to disguise the amount of grey in their hair.

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 greying 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' hair color was restored to their pre-grey color.

Answer 3

All hairs would grow naturally white, they are infact transparant and look like fishing line under the microscope, this is the reason why they dye so well. We produce different coloured pigment in skin cells which colours them, depending on our heritage and the climate we live/d in. For example people from Nordic countries, which are cold but sunny, are often blonde so the sunlight absorbs heat to keep their heads warm. In contrast people with dark hair often originate from hot countries as the opposite happens (lots of latin people are dark haired). This has got confused over the centuries due to migration. White hair offers equal protection either way because it reflects and absorbs but also is much coarser, offering thick protection to ageing skin. Generally it is just a fact of the ageing process.

Answer 4

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.[1]

Answer 5

Hair color is the result of pigmentation due to the presence of the chemicals of melanin and phaeomelanin.

Human beings have many variations in hair color and hair texture. In general, the more melanin present, the darker the hair color; less melanin, the lighter the hair color. Usually the color of children's and adults' hair varies from pale yellow to deep black. Hair may also come in more than one shade of color on one's head. As an example, the shade of one's hair color may change from a light shade to a darker one as time elapses.

A change in hair color typically occurs naturally as people age, usually turning their hair from its natural color to grey, then to white. More than 40 percent of Americans have some grey 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 greying, whether it comes with aging or prematurely, seems to be almost entirely based on genetics. Sometimes people are born with grey hair because it is passed down genetically. Many people use hair dye to disguise the amount of grey in their hair.

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 greying 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' hair color was restored to their pre-grey color.

Answer 6

Stress

Answer 7

i wanna know that too. i know a girl whos got white hair and shes like your age

Answer 8

Lack of pigmentation in that particuluar area. I had the same thing when I was very young. Don't worry about it.

Answer 9

no...theres less protein content in ur hair....u can bring it into level by concerning a hair specialist

Answer 10

Lack of pigment.