Spotting your first gray hair can feel like a monumental event in the aging process. You can easily feel like one day you have a head full of lush, colored hair then one day your mane is sprinkled with salt and pepper hair, your knees don’t let you get low when that song comes on, and you’re paying way too much attention to who’s on your lawn.
For many people it's a regular occurance and according to Joshua Zeichner, MD, FAAD, NYC-based board-certified dermatologist and Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, it’s pretty normal. If you’ve experienced early hair graying and you’re curious why — or asking for a friend — keep reading as we take a deeper dive into what causes gray hair in your 20s.
What Causes Gray Hair?
While the function of hair color in humans is still debatable, it’s undeniable that over the years we’ve used it as an aesthetic tool and it has played a role in self-image. According to the National Library of Medicine, our hair color comes from pigment melanin produced by melanocytes and is closely tied to stages of the hair cycle (hair is actively pigmented in the growth phase, pigmentation is sort of paused during the transition phase and absent during resting phase).
Hair graying happens when the pigment cells in the hair follicle die, which typically occurs with age. While this explains the biological process of gray hair, there’s more to why one person may be gray at 25 and another at 45.
Why Am I Getting Gray Hair in My 20s?
While you may have heard a bunch of different theories about why people get gray hair altogether, there may not be as many explanations about premature graying. Everything from your job to too much hair dyeing has made the list, but Dr. Zeichner says there are a number of reasons — you may have your parents to thank.
“Going gray is thought to be due to your genetics,” he says. “We don’t understand why it happens but it’s thought to be due to free radical damage within the hair follicles. If you have a family history of early graying then you are likely to go gray early also. And unfortunately, gray hairs develop both on the scalp and in the eyebrows or even in hair below the neck.”
He further explains that significant stress and the environment could also play a part in going gray, including UV light exposure.
“It [could also be a] combination of genetics and environment,” Dr. Zeichner continues. “We know that UV light exposure can damage the skin and promote free radical damage which can have an impact on the hair follicles. So theoretically, excessive exposure to UV light may contribute to premature graying of the hair.”
“Similarly, we know that stress has a harmful effect on the body, preventing wound healing and contributing to inflammation. For this reason, stress may also contribute to premature graying. This may make graying worse in people who are already genetically susceptible, or perhaps lead to graying in people who would not necessarily have gone gray otherwise.”
Via: Lorealparisusa.com
