Graying at an early age: causes, treatment

The appearance of the first gray threads, flashing in the hair, rarely pleases women, although men often remain indifferent. And early gray hair, in addition to aesthetic experiences, also causes concern about the state of one's health.

What does premature gray hair indicate?

The hair color "salt and pepper" is associated by most people with maturity and wisdom, that is, with the withering of the body and loss of health. In fact, early graying is not a sign of poor health, as evidenced by a large-scale study recently conducted by Spanish scientists, although there are a number of diseases in which the production of coloring pigment can decrease.

The presence of gray hair is also associated with nervous tension and negative stress factors, and although frequent adrenaline surges have a detrimental effect on melanocytes, the possibility of turning gray from grief is not confirmed by the study. Some of its participants experienced serious shocks during the observation process. They did not develop gray hair immediately after the traumatic event.

Early graying does not correlate with nutrition, lifestyle, or place of residence. Its appearance does not depend on gender. According to scientists, a completely healthy person may have their first gray hair at 16-20 years old, while a chronically ill person often does not have a single gray hair at fifty. All this is very individual and speaks only of an inherited predisposition. No other cause-and-effect relationship has been established.

However, even a long-term and mass study is limited in time, and during its course the causes that acted immediately or rather quickly are revealed. Therefore, one should not completely ignore the influence of long-term or constantly acting external and internal factors that are unfavorable for the general state of health, even if they did not appear as decisive during the study.

Epidemiology

Statistics show that heavy smokers go gray faster than non-smokers, five times faster. Naturally, gray hair becomes more common with age, but it turned out that every tenth inhabitant of our planet does not have gray hair even after 60 years. In general, scientists do not consider early gray hair a sign of aging and ill health, and by the way, late gray hair too. It's just that in gray-haired people, antioxidant processes are activated, glutathione - a protector of cells from the toxic properties of free radicals is concentrated not in melanocytes, but in the cells of more vital internal organs, which slows down the aging of the body, and allows the owner of silver hair to live a long life with preserved health.

Causes early graying

Gray hairs appear in all of us according to an individual schedule, depending on the inherited tendency. Early graying is considered to be noticeable before reaching 25-30 years, when by the age of 40 most of the hair is already depigmented, and the appearance of silver threads after 35 is generally considered a normal variant. At first, individual gray hairs are found on the temples and on the top of the head (on the crown). Most of the population meets the half-century anniversary already considerably gray, although not all - some hair pigmentation is preserved at this age, but this is not at all evidence of good health.

Thus, the reason for the appearance of gray hair at an early age, confirmed by the study, is a genetic predisposition to premature graying. Scientists were unable to link early graying with other reasons. The subjects did not always lead a correct and healthy lifestyle, ate differently, worked and rested, were active and not so much, were nervous, sometimes experienced serious psychological trauma, not all of them were distinguished by excellent health, but this could not be correlated with the premature appearance of gray hair.

Rare congenital pathologies such as Werner and Waardenburg syndromes lead to the appearance of early gray hair, however, this symptom is not the main one.

Acquired risk factors for natural hair bleaching at an earlier age than is inherent in nature also exist. Experts associate them with the suppression of melanin synthesis, in which many hormones participate - pituitary, thyroid, sex, neurotransmitters and peptides, in particular, glutathione, which determines the oxidative-reductive cellular characteristics.

The rate of melanin production may decrease with insufficient thyroid function, autoimmune pathologies - vitiligo, thyroiditis, diseases and dietary errors leading to pernicious or iron deficiency anemia, lack of protein, vitamins/minerals, cardiovascular pathologies (usually in men).

Gray hair patches can be of viral origin - shingles, or be a consequence of radiation damage and head injuries.

Premature graying of hair may occur after chemotherapy or taking antiparkinsonian drugs.

Frequent hair dyeing with dyes containing an oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide), bleaching, chemical perming, environmental problems (often all in combination) cause massive “oxidative stress”, leading to disruption of melanocyte function.

Early graying with a yellowish tint is typical for heavy smokers. Excessive sun exposure also disrupts melanin synthesis.

Although nervous shocks do not lead to instant graying of hair, the excess of adrenaline in the blood disrupts the connection of the coloring pigment with proteins in the hair, which leads to their discoloration. Spasm of blood vessels during stress also negatively affects the formation of melanin.

So, overall health, nutrition and lifestyle still affect the pathogenesis of gray hair at any age and can accelerate this process. In any case, graying is based on a slowdown in the production of coloring pigment, which is caused by a decrease in the activity or death of melanocytes. The structure of depigmented hair changes - they acquire air pockets, become porous, which gives them a silvery-white color.

Symptoms early graying

Silvery threads in the hair of very young people – this is how early gray hair is clinically manifested.

The first signs - gray hairs on the temples or crown - sometimes appear very early, even before the age of 20, and by the age of 40, most of the hair in such people is already depigmented.

Lack or absence of melanin in hair changes not only its appearance, but also its structure and properties. Melanin not only colors hair, but also makes it strong, elastic and flexible, provides protection from insolation and other harmful factors. Dark hair undergoes the greatest changes. Gray hairs are hollow inside, they are drier, split and break more easily, and are more vulnerable to adverse environmental influences. They become unruly and tangle more. They are more difficult to comb and style.

Early gray hair is not a sign of aging, but it can be one of the symptoms of a somatic health disorder, however, not the first and only one. Therefore, if the appearance of gray hair at a young age is not typical for the family history and, in addition, there are some symptoms of malaise, then it makes sense to consult a doctor to find out the reasons for insufficient production of melanocytes.

Psychosomatics

Any disease has not only physiological but also psychological prerequisites. Psychosomatic medicine studies the psychological background of the development of somatic symptom complexes.

Hair grows on the head, which symbolizes ourselves, and early gray hair, from a metaphysical point of view, speaks of a lack of strength and faith in oneself, despair, strong tension, helplessness, fear of the present and the future. Our crown connects us with the Universe and, if this connection is broken, a person cannot cope with life's tasks, loses harmony in life, and his hair turns gray.

Traditional medicine has noted that early graying of hair in men may indicate a weak cardiovascular system. Psychosomatic aspects of heart and vascular diseases correlate with tension, constant stress, nervous overload, anxiety, which corresponds to the reasons for the appearance of early gray hair.

Premature graying of hair in women is interpreted from the point of view of their traditional role in society and is explained by the woman’s anxiety for her family nest, uncertainty that she will be able to maintain the well-being of her family, and provide a sufficient level of security for her children.

Only the patient himself can correct his psycho-emotional state by changing the stereotypes of his thinking.

Complications and consequences

Early graying of hair does not pose a direct threat to health; according to the latest data, it is even considered a prognostically favorable factor.

The consequences of premature graying can be attributed to dissatisfaction with one's appearance, but such a deficiency can be quickly corrected in a beauty salon.

However, a person who has gone grey early should pay attention to their health, since diseases that lead to disruption of melanocyte synthesis should not be neglected and are best identified at the beginning of their development.

Diagnostics early graying

The appearance of early gray hair may be associated with some diseases or external factors. To establish this, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination and get a consultation with a cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist.

The patient will be prescribed tests. Laboratory tests can be very different from a clinical blood test to more specific ones: for the level of serum iron, vitamin B12, other vitamins and minerals, thyroid hormones, serum gastrin content.

Depending on the suspected diagnosis, instrumental diagnostics may be prescribed.

Based on the examination results, differential diagnostics are performed to determine what caused the insufficient synthesis of melanin. Alimentary causes are differentiated from diseases that led to metabolic disorders.

Treatment early graying

If gray hairs have already appeared, it is not always possible to stop the graying process itself and completely restore the previous condition of the hair. But it is possible to slow down the rate of appearance of new gray hair. True, you will have to make an effort: perhaps - change your lifestyle, parting with bad habits, revise your diet, provide professional care for your scalp and hair, and most importantly - reconsider your life attitudes, get rid of fears, overcome self-doubt and helplessness. The appearance of early gray hair is attributed to psychosomatic pathologies and positive attitudes bring real results.

What is absolutely not recommended is to pull out the first gray hairs. They flash singularly in the parting, and the hand itself reaches out to correct the defect. You should not do this, because, firstly, pulling out gray hairs can lead to infection and the development of dermatitis, secondly, you can damage the hair follicles, and they will stop growing, which will lead to the formation of bald spots in the places of graying.

How to stop premature graying of hair? There are medications that, as their manufacturers claim, can regenerate melanocytes and restore their ability to produce coloring pigment. However, there will be no effect from the first application; a noticeable improvement should occur after regular use for two to three weeks. Preparations for restoring hair color are available in different forms.

Stopsedin spray is sprayed on the hair. To use it, you do not need to wash your hair. It is suitable for both men and women, and it contains natural and useful components, the complex effect of which is reduced to the health of hair and scalp, as well as the restoration of natural processes of melanin synthesis.

This is inositol or vitamin B8, which has a beneficial effect not only on hair growth and the formation of the coloring pigment, but also normalizes the work of the cardiovascular and hepatobiliary systems, the muscular system, also called the "elixir of youth", since it protects cells from aging and death; biotin or vitamin B7 (the beauty vitamin), which takes part in the breakdown of fatty acids, leucine, a coenzyme in the process of gluconeogenesis. In addition, the drug includes amla oil, which contains a lot of necessary components for the restoration of hair follicles, and the levorotatory isomer of tyrosine, a replaceable amino acid necessary for the production of thyroid hormones and catecholamines, due to which an anti-stress effect is manifested, anxiety is reduced and mood is improved.

Stopsedin is used extremely simply: the spray bottle is shaken vigorously, and its contents are applied to the hair roots through the dispenser. After that, it is distributed over the scalp under the hair with massage movements. Then I comb my hair, and that's it. They promise the return of color in about three weeks or a month, depending on the degree of neglect of the problem. After that, you will only have to maintain the brightness and quality of your hair, periodically applying the preparation to it.

The Slovak lotion Reparex is a bit more complicated to use. Before using it, the hair should be damp, after applying it, it is also rubbed into the scalp with massage movements, and after five minutes, the head is dried with a hairdryer. Reparex is produced separately for female and male consumers. It contains G-reductase, which can catalyze the process of melanin synthesis; silver nitrate monovalent (lapis) and rosmarinic acid - antioxidants that neutralize the effects of oxidative stress; pantothenic (vitamin B5) and ricinoleic acids, which prevent bleaching and stimulate hair repair; sea salt as a source of essential mineral ingredients. The lotion is used every day for the first two or three weeks. And when the color is restored, once or twice a week - to maintain the achieved effect.

Certain vitamins are also used for hair growth. For example, Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). The neurotropic vitamin can be prescribed for its established deficiency, which develops with many diseases (gastritis with low acidity, autoimmune processes) and protein-free diets.

Anti-stress effects are provided by magnesium injections and magnesium preparations, for example, Magne B6.

Para-aminobenzoic acid or vitamin B10, nicotinic (B3) and folic (B9) acids prevent early graying of hair. Vitamin A promotes the integrity, smoothness and elasticity of each hair, without vitamin D calcium absorption is problematic, vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants.

The quality of hair is affected by the lack of zinc, calcium, magnesium, copper and selenium, so it is advisable to take vitamin and mineral complexes such as Selmevit Intensive or Melan Plus. But if the use of external means Stopsedin, Reparex and others is possible on your own initiative, then before taking even seemingly harmless multivitamins internally, a doctor's consultation is necessary, since hypervitaminosis and excess of minerals are as dangerous as their deficiency.

Treatment is prescribed individually. It is aimed at activating blood flow in capillaries, improving trophism and plastic properties of the scalp, normalizing neurohumoral connections, stimulating melanotropocytes and the formation of coloring pigment.

In combination with taking mono- or multivitamins and using external agents for the above-mentioned purposes, physiotherapeutic treatment is also used.

Head massage, acupuncture and reflexology are widely used to relieve stress, vascular and muscle spasms, increase blood flow and eliminate inflammation.

Mesotherapy can slow down the process of premature graying. The procedure involves subcutaneous injection of vitamin cocktails with thin and short needles, the bulk of which are B vitamins and precursors of the melanin pigment, trace elements - the most popular complex: zinc, cobalt, nickel. Zinc is necessary for the restoration of scalp and hair cells; cobalt - normalizes hematopoiesis, in particular, the synthesis of proteins and vitamin B12, directly prevents the appearance of early gray hair; nickel - promotes the formation of arginine, which activates blood circulation in the skin capillaries, therefore, improving nutrition and breathing. Usually, to obtain a visible effect, it is necessary to undergo about a dozen procedures - one per week. Mesotherapy does not cause significant discomfort and is easily tolerated by patients.

Laser radiation is an effective treatment for early gray hair, stimulating restorative, metabolic and biosynthetic processes. The effectiveness of laser therapy is associated with the activation of enzyme systems. Laser scanning beam, laser puncture, and magneto-laser therapy are used.

A new method is plasma therapy – similar to mesotherapy, only injections are performed with a plasma solution enriched with platelets, which triggers the process of autoregeneration in the scalp.

Among the hardware methods of physiological influence, they use electrical stimulation, d'Arsonval currents, phototherapy, ozone therapy, which activate "sleeping" hair follicles and even restore the function of damaged ones.

Experts usually do not object to the patient supplementing home treatment with hair care using traditional medicine recipes. However, they do not consider home treatment effective, although they admit that hair and scalp become healthier. Nevertheless, many people claim that they managed to cope with the problem using only traditional medicine. The effectiveness of such recipes can only be tested empirically on your own hair.

Folk remedies

There are many recipes for restoring hair color: from very simple ones, which do not require spending time or money, to very complex ones.

Let's start with the most basic - massages. There is an opinion that it is not the scalp that is stimulated, but the nail plates that help regenerate the quality of hair. These areas are responsible for the health, growth and color of hair. It is recommended to rub your fingernails against each other intensively for five minutes two or three times a day, placing the fingers of your left hand bent into a half-fist against the fingers of your right hand with your nails. Don't forget about your thumb nails. The result will be noticeable in a month, and in six months the gray hair will completely disappear.

Direct impact on the hair - twist a strand of hair around your finger and hold it for about five minutes, then the next one.

You can massage your scalp with spiral movements from the top of your head to the back of your head and back. This massage is recommended when you are going to wash your hair.

Hair masks with dimexide are popular. This is a medicinal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with good penetrating ability. It is added to masks based on many natural ingredients, combined with vitamins, oils, brewer's yeast and herbal decoctions. A good conductor, dimexide promotes faster penetration of nutrients deep into the skin, stimulates blood circulation, improves nutrition and breathing, increasing the effectiveness of cell regeneration. In addition, as a medicinal product, it relieves local inflammation, irritation, pain.

The recipe should be followed exactly. Dimexide must be diluted with water and the mask ingredients must be thoroughly mixed. Undiluted dimexide can cause a skin burn. After applying the mask, a slight burning and tingling sensation may be felt on the skin. This is normal.

It is also necessary to take into account the possibility of developing an allergic reaction. People with allergic reactions to NSAIDs and gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, kidney pathologies, as well as during pregnancy and lactation should not make masks with dimexide. When working with the drug, hands must be protected with gloves.

First, prepare a 10% solution of dimexide. One measure of the preparation, for example, a teaspoon or a measuring cup, is diluted in nine corresponding measures of water. Then combine with another component of the mask in a ratio of one part of the dimexide solution to three parts of the remaining ingredients. The composition is applied with a brush to the roots of pre-washed and towel-dried hair immediately after preparing the mixture. Cover the head with cling film, wrap it in a towel and a warm scarf, leave it like that for half an hour to an hour, then wash it off with shampoo and rinse with lemon water.

The treatment course includes seven to eight masks, the procedures are carried out once or twice a week. Then a break is taken for three to four months.

Mask with vitamins A and E: mix a teaspoon of Aevit oil solution, burdock and castor oils, and a dimexide solution. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (for aroma), lemon is recommended for fair-haired people. Warm the mixture slightly and rub into the hair roots. Keep your head warm. Leave it on for about an hour.

Mask with yeast: mix three teaspoons of liquid brewer's yeast with one spoon of dimexide solution. If you don't have liquid, you can take any (dry, in briquettes), activate them with warm water, milk, kefir and mix at the moment of active fermentation. Warm your head. Keep for an hour.

A mask with yeast is also made without dimexide. To do this, mix dry yeast with warm water 1:1 (a tablespoon each), add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed onion juice, salt on the tip of a knife, burdock and/or castor oil (a teaspoon each). Warm your head. Keep it for an hour.

The following recipe is quite complicated, from the field of psychosomatics, but the author claims that he and many others, having applied this method, got rid of early, rather massive gray hair completely, and at the same time, apparently, improved their health. In an ecologically clean place, you need to dig up some soil. It is best in the spring, early in the morning. Before you start digging, you need to thank the world for the fact that it exists and you live in it. The result depends on sincerity. Dig up the soil, loosen it and put it in a plastic bag, which you bring home. This will be enough for the entire course.

The procedures are carried out in the morning and before bedtime. First, you need to mentally tune in to the rejuvenation of your body. At the time of the procedure, do not think about business and worries, only about yourself, your beloved. Wash your hair with warm water without detergents and dry your hair with a towel so that water does not drip. Mix some of the brought soil with a fermented milk drink until it becomes a paste. Sour milk, kefir, and fermented baked milk will do. Apply the mixture to the hair roots for a quarter of an hour. During this time, focus on love and gratitude to the world around us. Wash off the applied mixture. The course lasts seven days.

Herbal treatment can be effective in cases of premature graying. Calamus, amaranth and aloe are used as powerful antioxidants. Basil, immortelle flowers, birch leaves and buds, oregano, calendula, St. John's wort and others are natural biostimulants of hair renewal.

To prevent early graying, you can prepare nettle oil (dark hair). Place three tablespoons of fresh or dry nettle in a glass container and pour in 150 g of heated vegetable oil. Store the container in a place protected from light for a week. Rub the prepared oil into the scalp at the roots of the hair about an hour before the expected wash. In addition to preventing graying, such procedures promote healthy hair and scalp.

You can make an infusion from a pinch of calendula, chamomile flowers and hop cones. The mixture is brewed with boiling water in a glass. Infuse for about 20 minutes. Strain and rub into the hair roots every other day. There is no need to wash it off.

A powerful biostimulant for hair renewal is bay leaf. It is in every kitchen. You can also make oil from it. To do this, grind 20 dry leaves in a coffee grinder and pour a glass of olive oil in a glass container with a hermetic lid. It should be made by cold pressing. Store the vessel in a dark place for a week, after which the oil is ready. It is used to make masks or simply rubbed into the hair roots.

It is worth remembering that herbal remedies can also cause intolerance reactions and often have a strong odor. This should be taken into account by allergy sufferers, hypertensive patients, pregnant and lactating women.

Homeopathy

Homeopathic treatment of premature gray hair should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor of the appropriate profile, its success largely depends on the correctness of the prescribed constitutional remedy. It is prescribed not so much based on the presence of gray strands in the hair, but on a comprehensive analysis of the patient's psychological portrait, the characteristics of his behavior and reactions to external stimuli, appearance, inclinations and passions.

The drugs of choice in case of premature graying of hair are:

• phosphoricum acidum (phosphoric acid), when the patient has suffered a severe nervous shock or is under chronic stress;
• fluoric acidum (hydrofluoric acid), when the patient is clearly asocial, aggressive, selfish;
• Vinca minor (small periwinkle) - one of the symptoms is the loss of pigmented hair and the growth of gray hair in their place;
• Thallium sulphuricum (thallium sulfate) – effective when hair problems are associated with taking medications;
• Lycopodium (club moss) - early graying associated with metabolic disorders.

Other medications may be prescribed depending on associated symptoms and modalities.

Surgical treatment

Surgical intervention – hair transplantation – is used extremely rarely for graying. It is much easier and safer to simply dye your hair. Nevertheless, such methods exist, although they are more often used to hide baldness and post-traumatic scars, and not just gray hair. Modern hair transplantation allows you to transplant microscopic areas of the scalp with a hair follicle from one place to another and restore hair growth.

The operations are expensive, require high qualifications, and are performed manually or using modern robotic equipment.

Prevention

If your parents went grey early, then there is a high probability that you have also inherited this tendency, and there is nothing you can do about it.

But taking care of your own health – no bad habits, good nutrition (proteins, vitamins, microelements), hair care will help at least slow down and maintain the quality of hair. You should not get carried away by fashionable diets, starve, exclude the use of any products. Such experiments disrupt the balance of substances necessary for the body and cause metabolic disorders.

In addition, premature graying is associated with low stress resistance. Psychosomatic gurus recommend, first of all, to put things in order within yourself, engage in self-knowledge and knowledge of the world, reconsider your value system and replace harmful attitudes with positive ones. In this regard, self-hypnosis is useful. In solitude, a person pronounces attitudes aimed at the positive (affirmations) that he wants to believe in. It has been established that with repeated repetition of such verbal formulas, a person's psycho-emotional state and his physical health improve.

Forecast

Early gray hair is not life-threatening. In the vast majority of cases (some sources say 98%), even an examination does not allow us to establish its physiological cause. In addition, modern hair care methods allow us to hide early gray hair, disguise it with a haircut, styling, toning, and coloring. In general, it does not pose a serious problem.