Stress Turns Hair Gray, But It's Reversible, Study Says (scientificamerican.com) 40
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Few harbingers of old age are clearer than the sight of gray hair. As we grow older, black, brown, blonde or red strands lose their youthful hue. Although this may seem like a permanent change, new research reveals that the graying process can be undone -- at least temporarily. In a study published today in eLife, a group of researchers provide the most robust evidence of this phenomenon to date in hair from around a dozen people of various ages, ethnicities and sexes. It also aligns patterns of graying and reversal to periods of stress, which implies that this aging-related process is closely associated with our psychological well-being.
The researchers [...] developed a technique to digitize and quantify the subtle changes in color, which they dubbed hair pigmentation patterns, along each strand. These patterns revealed something surprising: In 10 of [the 14 participants], who were between age nine and 39, some graying hairs regained color. The team also found that this occurred not just on the head but in other bodily regions as well. "When we saw this in pubic hair, we thought, 'Okay, this is real,'" [Martin Picard, a mitochondrial psychobiologist at Columbia University] says. "This happens not just in one person or on the head but across the whole body." He adds that because the reversibility only appeared in some hair follicles, however, it is likely limited to specific periods when changes are still able to occur. Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s -- although some may find them in their late 20s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to [study co-author Ralf Paus, a dermatologist at the University of Miami]. In those with a full head of gray hair, most of the strands have presumably reached a "point of no return," but the possibility remains that some hair follicles may still be malleable to change, he says.
In a small subset of participants, the researchers pinpointed segments in single hairs where color changes occurred in the pigmentation patterns. Then they calculated the times when the change happened using the known average growth rate of human hair: approximately one centimeter per month. These participants also provided a history of the most stressful events they had experienced over the course of a year. This analysis revealed that the times when graying or reversal occurred corresponded to periods of significant stress or relaxation. In one individual, a 35-year-old man with auburn hair, five strands of hair underwent graying reversal during the same time span, which coincided with a two-week vacation. Another subject, a 30-year-old woman with black hair, had one strand that contained a white segment that corresponded to two months during which she underwent marital separation and relocation -- her highest-stress period in the year.
The researchers [...] developed a technique to digitize and quantify the subtle changes in color, which they dubbed hair pigmentation patterns, along each strand. These patterns revealed something surprising: In 10 of [the 14 participants], who were between age nine and 39, some graying hairs regained color. The team also found that this occurred not just on the head but in other bodily regions as well. "When we saw this in pubic hair, we thought, 'Okay, this is real,'" [Martin Picard, a mitochondrial psychobiologist at Columbia University] says. "This happens not just in one person or on the head but across the whole body." He adds that because the reversibility only appeared in some hair follicles, however, it is likely limited to specific periods when changes are still able to occur. Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s -- although some may find them in their late 20s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to [study co-author Ralf Paus, a dermatologist at the University of Miami]. In those with a full head of gray hair, most of the strands have presumably reached a "point of no return," but the possibility remains that some hair follicles may still be malleable to change, he says.
In a small subset of participants, the researchers pinpointed segments in single hairs where color changes occurred in the pigmentation patterns. Then they calculated the times when the change happened using the known average growth rate of human hair: approximately one centimeter per month. These participants also provided a history of the most stressful events they had experienced over the course of a year. This analysis revealed that the times when graying or reversal occurred corresponded to periods of significant stress or relaxation. In one individual, a 35-year-old man with auburn hair, five strands of hair underwent graying reversal during the same time span, which coincided with a two-week vacation. Another subject, a 30-year-old woman with black hair, had one strand that contained a white segment that corresponded to two months during which she underwent marital separation and relocation -- her highest-stress period in the year.
What counts for solid science these days (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:What counts for solid science these days (Score:5, Insightful)
A study with 14 participants (oh, and old age now begins somewhere between 9 and 39?)
If the conclusion is to say that 'X is possible' you don't need a big sample. You need a big sample to say that 'X is likely', or to say that 'X is impossible'.
And I don't think that the study was talking about old age - the editorial talked about grey hair as a harbinger of age, but the study was talking about grey hair caused by stress. Its easier to spot that in 20-40 year olds than 70-90 year olds.
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As a child of the late 1980's and early 1990's, who was also a Computer and Science Nerd, and grew up on a Farm. I was a major bully target, as that time frame it was considered cool to make fun of Computer Nerds (Portrait by popular media), and insulted for doing a lot of things that is extremely normal for today's kids (Talking to people on different computers (NERD!), Finding joy in a cool new device (NERD!), Liking Science Fiction/Comic Book Stories (NERD!) ). Then at least for my area where I grew up
Itâ(TM)s reversible naturally anyway (Score:2)
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oh, and old age now begins somewhere between 9 and 39?
It does in "Monsanto World;" a third of the nine year olds weigh over 150lbs and half of the 39 year olds (at least the women; my attention is selective) look like they're over fifty.
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The numbers aren't the problem. It's the fact that you assumed Montasanto was the problemrather than the high sugar foods served everywhere.
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I found my first grey hair at 16. When I was 22, my wife took me home over the holidays to introduce me as prospective husband material. By then, I only still had a patch of dark hair on the crown of my head. My sides and front were silver. Her cousin remarked to her that I seemed a nice person and that all the grey hair made me look "distinguished." All this while the rest of my face looked young enough to get me carded even into my early 30's (if I was wearing a ball cap).
While there's (obviously) a
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14 participants is not a study (Score:1)
welcome to science. (Score:2)
Technically, you only need three for it to be a study... but you didn't hear it from me.
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14 may not be good for a final conclusion. But it may be good for an initial study. With 14 people, say 7 are control group and 7 get the treatment.
So after checking you find in the control group 3 out of 7 have their hair color reversed, and treatment group has 5 out of 7 with their hair color changed, It would mean that there is defiantly a chance that there is a correlation. (A correlation of a correlation). However it is was 3 out of 7 to 4 out of 7 then you may have a harder time justifying your me
I hope it's not Expen$ive (Score:3)
So basically the process is reversible before most people have money to spend on it?
This study has been brought to you by: (Score:4, Funny)
Just for Men. Blend away gray in 5 minutes!
If done correctly (Score:5, Funny)
The answer is divorce. So much less stress once it's done.
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While I get it as a joke, however normally divorce creates a lot of stress to everyone and it is prolonged, especially if you need to deal with kids, custody and paying support payments. Often a lot of people realize they probably should had stuck it out with each other vs getting the divorce because it is so much more stressful.
However there are occurrences that the stress of being married to someone is just so bad, that divorce is much better.
vanity thy name is man (Score:5, Insightful)
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I have seen things. My grey hair is proof!
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Grey hair is a badge of honor.
It's mostly just a sign of aging but if you got it because you worked yourself to death at a job that doesn't care about you then it's not badge of honor.
Just throwing this out there... (Score:2)
People are judged and treated differently based on their appearance.
It is not frivolous to invest effort in one's appearance, however surface-level it may be, if such investment yields a significant gain in one's social standing (or one's ability to capitalize on available human resources). The frivolousness is in the people who make these judgments, and treat people differently based on their appearance.
White? (Score:2)
What about white hair?
I don't buy it. (Score:3)
So, at 53, only just starting to get noticeable grey hair (yeah, I'm lucky I guess), that means I've had little to no stress for my entire life?
I know this to be untrue.
This is a study of 1 person, done by myself, perhaps I should write a paper on the subject?
Sure, I know it won't be as conclusive as a study done in a massive 14 people, but hey, science, right?
Whilst I can accept that stress could result in greying, I'm pretty sure there'll be numerous other factors that have a far greater impact.
Genetics, for example.
On my mothers side, all of her siblings grayed very late in life. On my fathers side, all of them grayed at a fairly standard rate.
My Dads hair started to grey in his 30's and was almost entirely grey in his 60's.
I'd be impressed if this was a study of thousands of people, across multiple cultures, but it isn't.
Re:I don't buy it. (Score:4)
This study showed that for some people, if stress causes their hair to turn gray, it can be reversed.
You don't need a study of thousands for that statement, just observing it occur in one person is enough to prove it.
The study doesn't even try to relate this to the age-related hair graying you wrote a couple of paragraphs about, and it doesn't say anything about the susceptibility of various people to hair turning gray.
So your hair didn't turn gray based on the stress you've had in your entire life? So what? That anecdote has nothing to do with the study. Maybe even if you'd had more stress than the entire rest of the world combined your hair wouldn't turn gray because you don't have the right genetics for it to happen. Again, so what?
Your anecdote doesn't disprove the study. If you don't want to believe it, then you need to provide a better reason.
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This study showed that for some people, if stress causes their hair to turn gray, it can be reversed.
You don't need a study of thousands for that statement, just observing it occur in one person is enough to prove it.
Well... seeing in one person (or 14) that a period of stress coincides with the graying of hair doesn't neccessarily prove that the stress was the deciding factor in the graying of hair - it could be all sorts of things doing it. And seeing that for a moment the hair stopped graying doesn't neccessarily prove that it was due to less stress.
I would argue that you need a larger sample size in order to know whether stress was actually the deciding factor in all of this.
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Stress is a factor, but not the only factor. Also how you deal with stress is a factor. Some people can just thrive on it, other it is poison to them, while we all have stress in our lives, Some people get a lot more stress than others, so while I may get stressed out that I cannot pay off my credit card in full this month, because I have to pay my mortgage, and needed an emergency repair on my car, and so I can pay off my credit card the next month, I may have to cut some frivolous spending (No steak din
I don't understand the fuss (Score:5, Insightful)
I think it's silly to worry about turning grey.
The wife and I wear our grey hairs like badges of honor. It shows we're veterans of life. We've seen shit and yet are still here.
You'd have to pay me to die my hair.
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The wife and I wear our grey hairs like badges of honor. It shows we're veterans of life. We've seen shit and yet are still here.
Good for you. I like that kind of attitude.
I think it's silly to worry about turning grey.
I wouldn't say I worry about turning gray, but from time to time I dye my hair or get a new type of haircut. That is no different from when my hair wasn't gray. I also change the way I shave my bear, just as the kind of clothes I wear differ over time. I don't feel like I HAVE to wear the same type of clothes every day, keep the same hairstyle - or color; it's quite okay to change your appearance.
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I also change the way I shave my bear
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Do you have a problem with me shaving my bear?
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I don't have a problem with it, but the bear might.
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I expect it is based on ones life style as well.
It sounds like you and your wife are in a steady loving relationship. And you probably are not working in a job, where you need to show off youth and exuberance.
If you ever notice the Hair Die advertisements seems to target the upper 30's Sales VP guy, who travels and entertains clients, who hides his wedding ring to flirt with the mid 20's woman at the bar. It is really for a particular life style/people who think they like that life style.
If you are gray a
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However, there may still be a need to dye. (Or for some degree of literacy).
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in a steady relationship there isn't that much of a need to die
However, there may still be a need to dye. (Or for some degree of literacy).
No, no! You don't understand, that's not a misspelling. Jellomizer is making a list. Pray that you're not on it!
Another Study Demonstrating My Personal Experience (Score:2)
I've turned mostly gray, due to age or perhaps stress.
I have head and pubic hairs that are gray on the end half and dark on the new or base half. The older portion of the hair is white and the newer portion is dark.
Sadly, the newly dark hairs are few and far between.
Exercise could be a factor. (Score:1)
Another possible factor I haven't seen mentioned yet is moderate-heavy exercise (or more accurately the Testosterone and/or other androgens released by it).
My hair went grey several years back but after I started regular running / jogging 3 years ago most of it is now growing back its original shade again.
(Collar & cuffs for the record).