Our hair and skin are dyed with the same substance - melanin. Gray hair is one that has received little or not melanin at all. Melanin is synthesized in specialized skin cells called melanocytes.
What gives hair color?
One in ten skin cells is melanocyte. It has a very funny shape: it is not round, but resembles an octopus in shape. Inside, the amino acids that are cleaved from the proteins we use as food are converted, through the action of special enzymes, into melanin.
The synthesized melanin moves into the "tentacles". These tentacles come in contact with other skin cells. Through the tentacles, as through hollow tubes, melanin enters the skin cells. This gives the skin its natural color. The more melanin, the darker the skin. Hair grows from special tubules located in the skin. These tubes are called hair follicles. They are composed of skin cells, that is, they also contain melanin. From the follicle cells, the pigment enters the hair.
Interesting fact: blonde hair is more prone to full graying.
Why hair turns gray - the reasons
When melanin ceases to flow into growing hair, it loses its color. There are two reasons for this.
- First, melanocytes begin to synthesize less and less melanin. Their tentacles can be shortened, no longer in contact with the cells of the hair follicles.
- Secondly, the synthesis of melanin in melanocytes decreases with age.So, some hair, getting less pigment, become gray. The skin also loses pigment with age, but this process is less noticeable.
Why does my hair turn gray?
But if the melanocytes around the follicles disappear, and sometimes this happens, the hair becomes completely white. Why exactly white? Yes, because white is the natural color of the unstained keratin, which makes up the skeleton of the hair. Sometimes it seems to us that we see in a person a pile of gray hair. But this may be an optical illusion. Just dark hair grows interspersed with gray. A typical pattern of salt with pepper arises.
When does gray hair appear?
When you may have gray hair depends on how old your parents and grandparents are. Some find their first gray hair at the age of only fourteen. A study among Australian men showed that between the ages of 25 and 34 years old, gray hair appeared in 22 percent of those surveyed. After 55 years, 94 percent of men have gray hair. However, there are some lucky people who live to old age, not having a single gray hair and preserving the original color of hair. Surprisingly, blondes are more prone to full graying, and gray hair is noticeable better against a dark background.
The opinion of scientists
Scientists do not know exactly what causes melanocytes to disappear over time. Perhaps compounds called free radicals and formed during the oxidation of biological "fuel" in the body damage melanocytes.It is also known that many diseases, including malaria, typhoid and even flu, can cause damage to melanocytes. The same thing happens with increased activity of the thyroid gland, diabetes and radiation exposure.
Hair color can be lost with poor nutrition, especially with a decrease in vitamin B12 in the diet. If you start to eat right, then melanin can recover, returning the hair to its natural color.
