Canity. This word may not mean anything to you, but it designates a very well-known phenomenon: having white or gray hair. But why do we have white hair? And why are some people already salt and pepper before the age of 30?
First, to understand why we have white hair, we must first understand why our hair is brown, blond or even red. And the culprit is melanin. Melanin is a set of natural pigments produced by our body and which defines the color of our skin, our eyes and therefore our hair. It is produced by melanocytes, cells located in the dermis and epidermis. But with age, melanocytes tend to become a little lazy.
They no longer produce melanin. Your hair then continues to grow but without pigment. So they turn white!
Young but already pepper and salt
If white hair is often a sign of old age (and even wisdom), an enigma persists. Why can a fairly young person have white hair? This is more a question of genetics and especially heredity. If your parents had gray hair at an early age, the risk that you will have it too is quite high. The gene causing white hair was even identified by a team of researchers in 2016. It is the IRF4 gene. And so this is what your parents passed down to you. But it doesn’t have to be all Mom and Dad’s fault.
Aggravating factors
The appearance of white hair can also be caused by several factors. Like tobacco for example. According to a study published in 2013, oxidative stress produced by cigarette consumption could damage melanocytes. Pollution could also have a role to play. The toxins and various pollutants that surround us also damage these famous melanocytes. As in many things, diet is also important. Lack of vitamin, copper or iron is partly responsible for your salt and pepper hair.
Is stress also responsible?
It’s true that we very often hear about stress as the main factor in the whitening of our hair, and this is not completely false. A study published in 2020 demonstrated that stress uses the sympathetic system. It itself produces noradrenaline which ends up “wearing out” the pigments, and you begin to know the song: your hair turns white. But rest assured! Another study published in 2021 and carried out on a small sample of people also proved that these white hairs linked to stress could return to their original color.
Oh yes ! And there’s no point believing in certain myths. Pulling them out won’t make them grow more or less… The only thing you risk is having holes in your hair.