Even if graying is natural, sometimes it happens not only because of aging. You can often see quite young people with gray strands in their hair, which looks unusual, because in our view gray hair is the fate of the older generation. Indeed, the norm for graying is the period of a person’s life when he or she is in his or her forties. While some people aren’t particularly upset about premature graying, other people consider it as a problem. Here’s how premature graying happens, and how you can prevent or reverse it.
Graying of hair and melanin
Melanin, the hormone that is contained in the human scalp, is responsible for our hair color. As a result of age-related changes in the body, its production in the hair follicles gradually decreases and disrupts hair pigmentation. However, graying can kick in earlier for reasons that result in a deficiency of tyrosine. It is the amino acid that plays a major role in the formation of melanin. One of the possible reasons for tyrosine deficiency may be a low-protein diet.
Another factor that can influence premature graying is chronic stress. Chronic stress leads not only to fatigue and low immunity but also premature graying. Therefore, to avoid premature graying it is important to avoid stress and eat enough proteins. Avoid foods that are high in sodium, fast food, and alcoholic beverages. Try to find better alternatives to fast food. For example, if you like enjoying unhealthy snacks (potato chips, French fries, pizza) when playing at Hellspin Casino or watching TV series, opt for healthier alternatives (homemade veggie chips, veggie snacks with Greek yogurt, etc.)
But consider that a healthy lifestyle can contribute to the absence of gray hair but can’t change genetics. And there are often different factors that all together lead to premature graying. Certain disorders and diseases like thyroid gland malfunctions, vitiligo disease, and early menopause also can harm the production of melanin. To sum up, let’s list all the possible reasons for premature graying:
- Genetic predisposition.
- The presence of chronic diseases of internal organs.
- Chronic stress leads to exhaustion of the nervous system.
- Bad habits in the form of smoking, and drinking alcohol.
- Adherence to unbalanced exhausting diets.
- Frequent change of hair color with the help of low-quality products.
- External unfavorable influences in the form of bad ecology and the like.
How to prevent or reverse premature gray hair?
Spotted gray hair in your 20’s or 30’s? Do not despair, because there is always an opportunity to solve the problem. According to doctors, gray hair may be a symptom of certain health problems or diseases. After therapy, the problem disappears on its own. It is also a good idea to consult a trichologist.
Statistics say that in thirty percent of cases of early graying, the process is reversible, and has a favorable prognosis for complete cure. The specialist identifies the causes that provoked the phenomenon, and, based on anamnesis, determines the methods of therapy. This is usually a course of vitamins with trace elements to increase the production of melanin, procedures with the introduction of drugs into the scalp for the same purpose. The injected drugs contain an increased amount of vitamin B, and the therapeutic measures are carried out twice a year.
Don’t forget about a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle! Active hair restoration and measures to avoid the progression of graying, begin with changes in the diet. First of all, it excludes harmful products, minimizing the consumption of mayonnaise and strong coffee, sausages and chips, hamburgers, and other snacks. Introduce in the daily menu large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables containing useful vitamins. To improve the production of tyrosine, add to your daily diet eggs and nuts, seafood and seeds, various oils and meat, milk and dairy products.
The diet will be incomplete without garlic, ginger, and herbs. A balanced diet has to be accompanied by an active lifestyle, in which there is a place for daily moderate physical activity along with rest. Also not superfluous will be an annual visit to the doctor-endocrinologist, the absence of excess ultraviolet light in the summertime.
Last but not least, we don’t recommend you use radical methods, such as the removal of gray hair. Such actions do not lead to a positive result. Moreover, they exacerbate the process by infecting neighboring hair follicles and further spreading the graying. There are many other ways to deal with gray hair!