Ever Wonder Why Our Hair Turns Gray?

 While some people seem to not turn gray until an advanced age, most of us see our first gray hair sometime in our thirties.  Experts say in time, everyone’s hair will turn gray, and with each decade after age 30, your chance of going gray increases by 10 to 20 percent.  For those blessed with a very long lifespan, their hair will most-likely go completely white. 

The process is gradual as each strand of hair a follicle produces remains the same color it starts out as.  For instance a strand of blond hair stays blonde regardless of how long it grows (we typically keep a strand for up to 3 ½ years).  Gray hair and eventually white hair is caused as our follicles produce less and less color as we age.  

However not all gray hair is a result of “age-related graying.”  In some cases, experts say stress may play a role in how quickly someone grays.  However they point out that most likely it is not the stress itself that makes hair go gray but rather it triggers “a common condition called telogen effluvium, which causes hair to shed about three times faster than normal.”   So if you are the right age, many of the new hairs that grow in may be gray.   

When very young people start to turn gray, it can be a cause for concern.  Premature hair graying (PHG) can be from a vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid disease, or smoking as well as vitiligo, which causes melanocytes (cells at the base of hair follicles that produce the hair’s color) to be lost or destroyed.  Still researchers say turning gray is mostly influenced by the genes we inherit from our parents and we can get a better idea of when we will turn gray by looking at past generations.    

The MorningStar of Santa Fe senior living community knows the best care starts from the heart.  Our loving home promotes a lifestyle of comfort, wellness, and community and offers an array of comprehensive care services and amenities.  From scheduled transportation, 5-Star dining to routine care planning reviews, activities and wellness programs, we are building a MorningStar family.  Visit our website to learn more about the finest senior living in Santa Fe including suite availability, pricing, and our company’s philosophy.  

MorningStar of Santa Fe offers the very best in senior living with our distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true “home” for residents. Please visit our website for more information about the most compassionate senior living Santa Fe, NM offers.

Source:
aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2021/causes-gray-hair.html?intcmp=HEA-HL-FEED