Stress Causes Gray Hair: Research Reveals the Connection

The “white hair overnight” seen in movies and TV shows rarely appears in real life, but research has confirmed that stress does indeed cause gray hair.

Human hair color depends on the amount of melanin, which is basically determined from the moment it grows out. Hair is growing all the time. This process is divided into two stages: “growth” and “coloring”, which are respectively responsible for hair follicle stem cells and pigment stem cells inside the hair follicle.

Hair follicle stem cells: can differentiate into keratinocytes, which are responsible for hair growth.

Pigment stem cells: can differentiate into pigment cells, which are responsible for coloring hair.

With the coordinated work of keratinocytes and pigment cells, keratinocytes produce 0.3mm of hair every day, and pigment cells paint the newly grown 0.3mm of hair. The color of hair that has grown out is usually relatively stable and will not change unless it is bleached or dyed.

However, some people in life do experience increased gray hair under high pressure. Some scientists have discovered that the hair that has grown out will not change color, but when you are under great mental stress, the new hair will turn gray.

In 2021, researchers at Columbia University conducted an experiment on human hair color and stress, and found that on days when stress spiked, the hair color of the subjects’ hair really became lighter. An animal study published in the authoritative scientific journal “Nature” discovered the secret: when huge stress suddenly comes, the sympathetic nerves will receive “stress signals” and overactivate pigment stem cells. Acute stress leads to rapid overdraft of stem cells. ,Run out.

To put it simply, keratinocytes are still making hair, but the pigment cells are destroyed due to high pressure. The newly grown hair cannot be colored and turns white.

Can graying hair turn back to black?

After all, exhausted pigment stem cells cannot be resurrected. But don’t give up yet:

First, the pigment stem cells in the hair follicles may not be dead. Stress only accelerates the death of pigment stem cells, rather than destroying them instantly. If only 80% of the pigment stem cells are lost, the remaining 20% ​​can still color the hair. However, the remaining stem cells can only dye colorful black. Secondly, nearby healthy hair follicles can provide support.

There are about 100,000 hair follicles on the human scalp, and only a small part of them turn white. If there is no extensive pressure damage, then the pigment cells differentiated from the adjacent black hair follicles may migrate to rescue the hair follicles lacking pigment cells, allowing the whitened hair to regain melanin.

Finally, the younger you are, the greater your chances of your hair turning back to black. As we age, pigment stem cells also age and die. Compared with older people, young people have more abundant pigment stem cells, which are less likely to be destroyed by a stressful event and are more likely to revert to darkening. Of course, the prerequisite for hair recovery is that the stressful event that caused gray hair is resolved.

Too much stress may not only turn your hair gray, but may also cause hair loss.

A woman in Fujian went to the doctor for obesity and hair loss, and was found to have diabetes and tumors. She lost 20 pounds after undergoing surgery for six months and her appearance changed dramatically.

According to “Dianshi News”, a woman from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, Xiaojuan, went to the hospital six months ago due to obesity, hair loss and irregular menstruation. During the diagnosis, the doctor found that her face was swollen, a large number of striae appeared on the skin of her abdomen and limbs, and she had type 2 diabetes. Therefore, after multidisciplinary consultation, she was finally diagnosed with a right adrenocortical adenoma and recommended that the woman undergo surgery.

The woman was discharged from the hospital successfully after the operation. After a period of recovery, she stopped taking medication and had a follow-up visit six months later. Surprisingly, however, the woman’s blood sugar level not only returned to normal, but she also successfully lost 20 pounds in half a year. Her appearance also underwent an astonishing change, making friends around her full of praise for her. Doctors later pointed out that the disease the woman suffered from was more common in young women, with symptoms including full moon face, central obesity, purple lines on the skin, acne, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, etc.

The woman’s astonishing transformation also attracted netizens to express their admiration: “This woman really feels like she has changed a lot”, “I’m so envious”, “Losing weight is really more beautiful than plastic surgery”, “I have lost more than 20 kilograms, it’s amazing”. Some netizens also praised the doctor: “Thank you to the doctor for his wonderful rejuvenation” and “How lucky you are to have such a responsible medical team.”

2024-02-07 23:00:49

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