causes of white hair

White hair means you are getting old - or at least. However, the cause of white hair is not as simple as that. It is true that the white coat is a sign of aging, but the time the hair starts to money is directly related to their genes. Scientific research has interesting developments in the way of heredity, medical conditions and external stressors can cause white hair.

White Hair: How does it

The amount of pigment or melanin in each individual hair follicle is regulated by a special stem cells called melanocytes. Each melanocyte cell is "preset" to run during a specific period of time, after which he died. After stopping the functioning melanocytes, the hair follicle begins to grow pigmented or white. A mixture of black hair and a few gray hairs can give the visual illusion that the person has gray hair, but a head of hair that is totally without pigment is white.

When you have white hair?

An article in the New York Times reported that Caucasians generally start to notice white son first, sometimes in the mid-30, while the descent Asian and African-American begins to turn gray later. About 50 percent of the population age-50 is 50 percent gray. According to a 2005 report published in "Journal of Investigative Dermatology," the age when your melanocytes start-stop function is largely hereditary.

Medical causes

Some medical conditions are known to cause white hair turn prematurely. Those born with a genetic condition called vitiligo - a form of albinism - a tuft of hair unpigmented. Research shows that people with this condition lack an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide, resulting in increased concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, not only in the hair, but skin as well. Thyroid disease and anemia can also cause hair turn white.