White Hair And Stress: The Link Between The Two Phenomena Finally Proven

White hair and stress: two phenomena whose link has been the subject of much discussion in recent years but has remained undetermined for a long time. Until last week when a study published in the journal Nature dispelled all doubts. So, researchers have scientifically proven that stress causes gray hair to appear. Given the discovery, could this process be delayed in the future?

White hair and stress: the relationship between the two phenomena already scientifically proven

Countless articles have long associated stressful experiences with the phenomenon of gray hair. But now their relationship is already scientifically proven thanks to the mutual work of Brazilian researchers from the universities of Sao Paolo and those from the United States at Harvard University. They discovered for the first time how exactly this unpleasant and embarrassing process takes place.

Since stress affects the entire body, scientists first had to determine which body system was responsible for the gray hair and stress duo. To do this, they performed experiments on lab mice that were subjected to pain. As a reaction to the latter, adrenaline and cortisone levels in small rodents increased, causing increased heart rate and blood pressure.

All of these “catalysts” disrupted the nervous system of mice while causing immense stress. Thus, the scientists were able to conclude that it is in particular the stress which is responsible for the gray hair because it causes the reduction of the melanocytes, these being the cells which produce melanin (the pigment which colors the skin, the hair and the 'iris).

Could we delay the appearance of gray hair?

One of the professors at Harvard, Ya-Cieh Hsu explains that the harmful effects of stress on the body were known but that the recent discoveries go beyond their expectations. She adds that after a few days all the melanocytes have disappeared. And such damage is permanent.

The link between gray hair and stress confirmed and the process, itself finally identified, researchers now hope to discover how to delay bleaching of the hair. Ya-Cieh Hsu concluded that understanding how tissues change under stress is the crucial first step towards a possible treatment that can stop or eliminate gray hair. She also explains that they still have a lot to learn.

Source: Nature