The Source of Gray Hair




When people grow older, their hair turns gray. Some start noticing single gray hair strands when they are around 20, while others go all the way till 50 or even 60 without this problem. They say gray hair is a sign of wisdom, but scientists are ready to prove that it is not quite so. They are also convinced it is not connected to nerves, stress or illness.

A team of European researches has found out that hair turns gray color because of a massive build-up of hydrogen peroxide caused by wear and tear of hair follicles. Melanin, responsible for skin and hair pigmentation, cannot keep working in the normal cycle when affected by peroxide and gives up letting the hair turn gray.

As everything else in the body, hydrogen peroxide has its positive purpose: it is formed as part of body’s oxygen cycle and its purpose is to kill harmful bacteria. The immune system produces hydrogen peroxide all the time and increases the amount of it when the person is sick. The chemical fights the infection during inflammatory process by disruption of cell membranes of the bacteria. But it has a negative side-effect too.

It has been discovered many years ago that hydrogen peroxide bleaches out the hair strands from inside, but now the scientists of the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom are saying that blondes are not the only people who have some hydrogen peroxide in their hair, but all of us do, because hair cells produce a small amount of it naturally. With the time this amount grows bigger, blocks melanin and hair starts losing its color. At first it turns lighter color than it used to be, then becomes gray and later in case of major peroxide build-up it might turn white.

This discovery was brought by the close study of the cell cultures of human hair follicles. Hydrogen peroxide can be easily broken to water and oxygen under the influence of some chemicals (catalysis). While a person is young, the body produces a certain enzyme which makes the process of catalysis possible. However, growing older slows down a lot of things in human body and the production of the enzyme is one of them. Since there is not enough of it some part of hydrogen peroxide remains in the follicles.

The research showed that hydrogen peroxide keeps melanin from coming to the hair follicles and strands. It also slows down the production of melanin in general. Scientists say that further studies on the same point might prove the connection between melanin in skin and peroxide and why old people have weaker and thinner skin.

Gerald Weissmann, professor of medicine at New York University, thinks that the discovery made by the scientists from the University of Bradford is very beneficial for the world. “It gives you insight into how we age in general. They got the molecular basis of aging down pat,” he says.

Knowing the source and the reason of gray hair allows finding the treatment for it. It is possible that in the near future there will be special products which remove hydrogen peroxide from hair or food and daily supplements which lower the amount of the chemical in the body.

Mildred Pratt

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Posted on November 20, 2009 
Filed Under Hair Care

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