Causes of premature graying of hair in men

This is an automatically translated article.

Gray hair is a sign of the natural aging process in humans. It usually happens when we reach middle age. However, even young healthy people are at risk for premature graying, especially in men between the ages of 20 and 30. Premature graying of hair in men can result from many different causes, such as genetics, lifestyle, diet or medical conditions.

1. What is premature graying of hair in men?

From a scientific perspective, the natural human hair color is usually determined by the pigment melanin - produced by the melanocyte present in the hair follicle. Gray hair can be caused by the body not producing enough melanin to help the hair retain its natural color.
In general, the amount of melanin will tend to decrease with age, meaning that the older you are, the less melanin you have. At a certain point, the production of melanin will stop completely, this is also the time when human hair color turns white - a manifestation of aging.
Hair will begin to gradually turn silver when you turn 40. At that time, the amount of melanin produced in the hair follicles gradually decreases, accompanied by the condition of the hair root shrinking and containing air sacs that cause blockages. hair roots, making hair become weak, prone to breakage and graying.
However, nowadays many healthy young people who are only in their 20s and 30s (especially men) have a lot of gray hair, speckled with gray like old people. In medicine, this phenomenon is called premature graying of hair in men.
Premature graying of hair, although it does not affect health much, but also causes many troubles for young men, such as low self-esteem about their appearance.

2. Causes of premature graying of hair in men

Human hair is basically colorless. Cells in hair follicles, also known as melanin pigments. This type of pigment determines the color of human hair, they include 2 main types: eumelanin and phaeomelanin. When these two types of pigments are combined in different ratios, it will create separate hair colors, from jet black to ash blonde.
Researchers have found that, over a long period of time, these melanocytes become less effective at making pigment. That is, age has caused the amount of melanin to decrease gradually. However, premature graying of hair in men has many deeper causes. Specifically:
Genetics: this is probably the leading factor that causes premature graying of hair in men. In fact, genetics determine the color of a person's hair, such as black, blonde or brown. However, according to some studies, if you have a close relative (father, mother or grandfather) who has suffered from premature graying of hair, there is a high chance that you may also have this condition at a young age. very young. Moreover, your risk of premature graying of hair is many times higher than other people's. Premature gray hair in men due to genetics usually does not cause any health problems, but it greatly affects your appearance, so you need to take good care of your hair.
Due to frequent stress: men often have to bear the burden of many jobs, so the pressures from life or family can cause long-term stress and fatigue. This also makes the risk of premature graying of hair higher in them than in other people. In fact, when you're stressed, your body produces a powerful oxidizing factor, called hydroperoxide. This substance will accumulate in hair follicles, gradually destroying the melanin pigment that gives hair color, leading to premature graying of hair in men.

On the other hand, prolonged stress also causes significant effects on the central nervous system, causing the melanin production in the hair follicles to be disturbed, causing gray hair to appear earlier than usual. In addition, when men are in a state of stress for too long, it will interfere with the body's energy metabolism, disrupting blood circulation due to the constriction of blood vessels. This makes the body not provide enough nutrients needed to nourish the hair, making the hair strands prematurely weakened, prone to breakage and graying.
Even sleep deprivation due to prolonged stress can lead to premature graying of hair in men.
Due to unhealthy diet: a balanced and complete diet will be the determining factor in a person's health status. When you eat unhealthy, hair will not receive enough nutrients needed to grow, gradually become weak and easy to discolor, break.
Unhealthy eating habits that lead to premature graying of hair in men often include: eating a lot of fat, meat or sweets, while consuming less green vegetables and fruits. This leads to a nutritional imbalance in the body: excess protein – vitamin deficiency. In particular, the deficiency of vitamin B12 is also the main cause of premature graying of hair in men, because the vitamin plays an important role, helping to create black hair.
Disorders of the thyroid or pituitary gland in men: in the body, the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland are considered endocrine organs with an important role, participating in the production and regulation of various types. hormones. For the most part, the hormones that the pituitary and thyroid gland produce play a role in metabolism, or participate in the control of the body's organs.
In particular, the pituitary gland and thyroid gland also significantly affect the health of the hair. Therefore, men with pituitary and thyroid problems, such as hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism, have a higher risk of premature graying than others. In fact, these disorders can affect the growth cycle and hair color, causing the hair to not receive enough nutrients, leading to weakness, brittleness, split ends, fibrous and gray hair.

Due to the use of many stimulants and smoking habits: strong lifestyles such as smoking, or drinking a lot of alcohol can stimulate the proliferation of free radicals, which destroy the cells that produce Melanin is produced in the hair follicles, which leads to premature graying of hair in men. In addition, the nicotine contained in cigarettes disrupts the body's blood circulation, unable to transport enough nutrients to nourish the hair, causing the hair to become weaker and quickly gray.
Abuse of hair care products: not only women, even men today have many beauty needs, especially for their hair. Many people often change hairstyles, such as straightening, curling, or dyeing their hair, which inadvertently damages the hair and scalp. Excessive use of hair care products containing a certain amount of chemicals will weaken the hair, interrupt the hair growth cycle and turn gray prematurely.

3. How to overcome premature graying of hair in men?

You should not be too worried about premature graying of hair. Some of the methods below can help you to partially solve this situation, including:
Stress reduction: Long-term stress is the leading cause of premature aging signs for both the face and the body. hair. Therefore, you should keep an optimistic life attitude, reduce stress by building a reasonable, healthy lifestyle, a harmonious combination of work and rest. Get enough sleep: going to bed early and getting enough sleep will help the body prevent oxidation, thereby limiting premature graying of hair. Supplement necessary nutrients: in your daily diet, you should choose for yourself healthy foods, rich in nutritional value, especially enhancing the addition of substances good for hair health. These include vitamins A, B1, B6, or B12 and other essential minerals found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Limit smoking and alcohol abuse: these toxic habits not only cause premature graying of hair but also cause a number of other health problems. Therefore, you should give them up as soon as possible. Form the habit of going to bed early: going to bed early before 11 pm will help important organs in the body have time to rest and eliminate toxins outside. Moreover, getting enough sleep also helps promote the body's metabolism, prevent strong oxidation of hydroperoxide, thereby providing all the necessary nutrients for hair, avoiding gray hair. Soon. Supplementing with catalase enzyme: one of the main culprits for the reduction of melanin pigment in hair follicles is the accumulation of hydroperoxide - a substance that destroys melanin, leading to graying of hair. On the other hand, the enzyme catalase is an endogenous enzyme, which has a very effective antioxidant effect, neutralizing the harmful effects of hydroperoxides and breaking them down into water and oxygen. When supplementing with this substance, it will help the gray hair onset process become slower, helping the hair regain its natural color.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early, so that there are treatment plans for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy, including:
Health checkup package general Standard 2020 General health check-up package VIP 2020 General health check-up package Special 2020 General health check-up package Children 2020 General health examination package Work permit - Issuance of work permits Examination results of people sick will be returned home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference source: Webmd.com