Most people associate gray hair with aging, but some start seeing grays as early as their teens.
There are many factors that can cause hair to lose its natural color, including genetics, a vitamin deficiency, thyroid disorders, smoking and vitiligo, a skin condition that causes loss of pigment.
Severe stress also can contribute to graying hair.
To simplify the scientific details of why hair turns gray, certain cells called melanocytes become defective or die off. These are the cells that produce the pigment known as melanin that give your skin and hair its color.
Tampa businessman Ed Barbara started noticing gray hairs popping up in his early 40s. A nonsmoker with no health issues, he attributes his grays to natural aging. Although, he says, "I still feel as if I'm 20."
When it comes to gray hair, women are the ones who really get the shaft. Over the years, it's always been perfectly acceptable for men to let their hair go gray. Their gray or salt-and-pepper hair is called "distinguished." On women, on the other hand, it's referred to as "matronly."
According to the book "Beauty Bias: Discrimination and Social Power" by Bonnie Berry (Praeger, $39.95): "Three out of four middle-aged women color their gray hair, as do 13 percent of middle-aged men."
Scientists have been working on the antidote for gray hair for years. Scientists at French cosmetics company L'Oreal already have identified the genes that may play a key role in gray hair, and they've been working on a treatment. "We could be talking about a pill or we could be talking about a topical treatment," says Dr. Bruno Bernard, the lead researcher in the study.
Until they come up with an affordable product, whether you color your hair or let nature take its course is a personal decision. Only you can decide what's right for you.
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