May 2, 2025
Science

Does stress really make hair turn gray, or is it an urban myth?

  • August 8, 2024
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The fact that someone is stressed is undoubtedly has both physiological and psychological effects. But is this feeling strong enough to change the color of the hair follicles?

Does stress really make hair turn gray, or is it an urban myth?

The fact that someone is stressed is undoubtedly has both physiological and psychological effects. But is this feeling strong enough to change the color of the hair follicles?

Bride, Let’s answer this question.

A group of researchers from Harvard University has found several findings on how stress whitens hair.

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Since stress affects the entire body, the first thing you need to determine at this point is: Through which system does stress affect hair color? was to be found.

Researchers first stress causes immune cells to kill pigment-producing cells He thought that was the cause. However, tests on mice did not support their hypothesis.

Because experiments, The hair of mice that do not have immune cells is also showed that it became white like the fur of ordinary mice.

As a result, researchers turned to the hormone cortisol.

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The reason they turned to this hormone was that stress increases cortisol levels in the body. But experiments didn’t support this idea either. The hair of mice whose bodies don’t produce cortisol hormone because their adrenal glands have been removed is also it had a tendency to turn white when under stress.

Researchers then began to study the sympathetic nervous system. sympathetic nervous system, regulates unconscious processes in the bodyis part of the autonomic nervous system.

It is also responsible for the process called the fight or flight response. When a living being encounters a danger that threatens its life, The sympathetic nervous system responds. The creature chooses to run from the threat or fight.

Sympathetic nerves typically split around hair follicles in the skin.

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Experiments conducted by researchers show that stress, This indicates that it causes the release of noradrenaline from the nerves. The hair follicles also contain various stem cells. After a hair strand is lost and a new hair strand grows out of the hair follicle, these stem cells change into pigment-producing cells.

This is how the hair strand gets color. Results achieved, release from sympathetic nerves causes noradrenaline to be converted into pigment-producing cells to show.

This results in the depletion of the stem cell reserve in the hair follicles and This stops the renewal of the pigment-producing cells and the hair starts to turn white. In other words, stress has an effect on hair bleaching.

Sources: Medical News Today, Tubitak Bilim Genç

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