What Leads To Premature Greying Of Hair? Expert Tells Possible Causes

Premature greying of hair is becoming very common these days in different age groups. People in their teenage and early 20s are complaining about the same. It can be contributed to many factors like vitamin deficiencies, stress, pollution, genetics, smoking, sun damage due to excessive exposure, chemical hair treatments, medical conditions etc.

Hair care: What leads to premature greying of hair?

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1. With fast food becoming popular in this fast paced life, optimum nutrition is being compromised. Deficiencies of nutrients like Vitamin D, vitamin B12, copper, zinc, iron have become contributors to premature greying. In such cases treatment is easy as lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements can reverse the greying.

2. Genetics plays a major role in premature greying. Race and ethnicity also determine the age at which the greying starts. It's more common in Asians than any other race. Stress is something which has become very common these days. Its effects are seen first on skin and hair. In hair it causes dandruff, premature greying and hair fall. It becomes important to manage stress effectively.

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3. Smoking has ill-effects on almost all the organs. It increases free radicals in the body which makes skin and hair show effects of ageing. It also contributes to premature greying. Sun damage again increases free radicles and oxidative stress which causes premature greying in young people. It's always best to avoid excessive sun exposure and use protection gear like hats and scarfs.

Stress is also linked with poor hair health
Photo Credit: iStock

4. Chemicals like hair colours and other hair products are also one of the factors contributing to premature greying. It becomes important to avoid too much chemicals and use best quality products. Premature greying is also common in medical conditions like vitiligo, thyroid disorders etc. These conditions need to be diagnosed and treated timely to reverse the greying.

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How to fix this?

Nothing much can be done in cases where the premature greying is due to genetic predisposition. But in cases of nutritional deficiency or medical conditions it becomes important that there is proper diagnosis and timely treatment to reverse the effects. Balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle also play a big role.

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There are also some good home remedies like using fenugreek seeds, curry leaves or Bringraj oil. Such remedies can always be used as complementary treatment to the main treatment for premature greying.

(Dr. Amoha Bhatia is a Delhi-based Skin Specialist and Hair Restoration Surgeon)

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