Gray hair is often associated as being a part of the aging process. You may embrace your graying hair or choose to conceal it with hair dyes and other products. However you may be surprised to see gray hairs on a child, although there is no need to be alarmed. There are many factors that can contribute to graying hair in children and it’s important to seek medical help to try and determine the underlying cause. Your child may have simply inherited premature graying or premature graying could be a symptom of a more serious underlying health condition.
Premature Graying
Premature graying is also known as canities. Your hair follicles contain cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are responsible for the production of melanin in your hair which gives your hair color. As you get older the activity of these cells begins to decline so they produce less melanin resulting in the appearance of gray hairs. The time which you develop gray hairs varies between individuals. In children with gray hairs this process starts sooner.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
A deficiency of vitamin B12 is a common cause of childhood graying according to Dr.Green.com. Dietary deficiencies of vitamin B12 are rare with the exception being strict vegans as vitamin B12 is present in animal sources like meat, fish, milk and eggs. If your child has an adequate supply of vitamin B12 then it’s possible his body is lacking the necessary molecules required for vitamin B12 absorption. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also prevalent in some children who have undergone stomach surgery after which their bodies are no longer capable of digesting and absorbing vitamin B12. If a vitamin B12 deficiency is corrected by achieving an adequate intake of the vitamin then your child’s graying won’t progress.
Genetics
The onset of developing gray hair in childhood is often inherited, according to CNN. If someone in your immediate family developed gray hairs early on, then most probably your child inherited the trait from that individual. The level of grayness is also inherited, so if someone in your family had a few scattered gray hairs, as opposed to a full head of gray hair, then your child will probably follow the same pattern.
Diseases
Certain diseases and disorders can lead to a loss of hair pigmentation, including uncommon ones like tuberous sclerosis, Vogt-Koyanagi and neurofibromatosis. Other conditions like hyperthyroidism reduce the efficiency of the cells that produce hair pigmentation. Hypothyroidism can also result in graying hair while vitiligo destroys the cells producing hair pigmentation. One of the early symptoms of many types of anemias is the onset of gray hair in children.
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