Why Does Hair Turn Grey?
Answer Kim, Are you asking about the normal physiological graying of the hair as we age, or are you asking about premature graying as a genetic trait? Normal hair follicles contain stem cells and stem-cell derivatives (melanocytes) that produce the hair proteins (keratins) and the pigments (melanins) that are deposited within the hair fibers. Hair is hollow like a tube, and the pigment is deposited within the tube as the newly formed keratin fibers weave and make the hair shaft. As long as the hair follicle is healthy, it keeps producing new keratin fiber and new pigment; in fact, as you grow and age, many hairs fall out and new hairs are grown. However, when the body is sick in some way, hair production slows in order for the body to conserve proteins for more important uses, such as forming a strong immune response against infection with protein antibodies. In addition to keratin fiber production slowing, the hair follicles stop making pigment. So, after a while of illness or stress,
