Ageing is today’s fearful dream. Therefore, humanity has fought against every single thing that considered a sign of ageing throughout history. While we cannot stop the ageing of our cells, we try to erase its traces in our bodies. Thanks to science, we start to get what we have always wanted day by day.
As we get older, our hair might become grey, or we might start to experience hair loss. This is also a sign of ageing, which is terrifying for most of us. People use wigs or hair dyes to hide grey hair while there are safer and more permanent options such as hair transplantation for hair loss. No matter how common these problems are, scientists could not find the genes that are responsible for grey hair or hair loss, until today.
According to research that took place at the University College of London, scientists have found a gene that is associated with grey hair.
First Time in History
Dr Kaustubh Adhikari, one of the leading researchers, claimed that they already knew that some genes were responsible for hair turning grey and balding. But this is the first time that they found the exact gene. He also said they had to work with thousands of people from different ethnic groups for the research. There were both female and male participants, including Mexicans, African Americans, Brazilians, and Colombians. The researchers also ran lots of tests such as determination of eyebrow thickness or the level of greying in each person. This is why they are pretty sure about the results.
The good news is, as scientists learn more about the gene, it will be easier for them to develop new treatments for greying hair. This might also mean they will be able to find the genes that cause hair loss and develop an easier treatment for it too. Of course, this does not mean this process will be quick. You should probably lean on the hair dyes for greying hair and hair transplant operations for hair loss for a little more.
How Does The Hair turn into Grey?
Almost everyone’s hair turns grey at some point in their lives. As you get older, your hair starts to lose its pigmentation cells, or the production of the cells slows down. After a while, your hair turns completely white.
Stress, hormonal factors, and various diseases can affect hair greying. You may also notice grey hair after a period of intense stress since the stress hormone might also slow down the production of the pigmentation cells. Disorders such as diabetes might also cause hair greying. However, the studies show that greying has a genetic component. The environmental factors are not as effective as the genes.