What is Gray Hair?
The onset of gray hair could come sooner than some people would hope. Experiencing gray hair is an inevitable fact of life that all of us will experience as some point or another. However, graying hair is not always a factor of age. Some people will find that they can even experience graying hair in their teens. This is called premature graying. While teenage graying can come from nutrient deficiencies in a diet, it is generally from a condition where the body halts the production of pigments necessary for hair color.
Understanding How a Teen's Hair Grays
Every person has their own hair color. These vary, but are all produced from the same process. There are pigments produced in our hair follicles that can generate various colors. Once that pigment stops being produced, what we are left with is gray hair. All humans have white hair initially. It is only through the creation of these pigments that we gain our individual hair colors. There are cells inside of hair follicles called melanocytes. The most important of these melanocyte cells in producing hair pigmentation is called melanin. This natural pigment is what gives our hair color. The higher the melanin count, the darker hair color a person will have. The less melanin a person has, the lighter the color of hair. When a person's melanocytes halt production of pigments, the result is grayed hair. This hair is actually transparent, but gives the illusion of gray hair when mixed in with slightly darker hair.
What Can Cause Gray Hair in Teens?
Premature graying of hair in a person's teenage years can occur for many reasons. Medical complications such as thyroid abnormalities, B12 deficiencies, anemia and vitiligo can cause white hair. Perhaps the most influential of these disorders is vitiligo, which is an autoimmune deficiency condition where melanocytes are destroyed by a body's natural defenses. This results in white portions of hair, as well as white patches on the skin. These conditions are often hereditary, but can be altered with the right prescription from a doctor.
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