When grey and you are not besties, here’s how you cover it...

Ageing is an unavoidable reality of life irrespective of gender and race. It is a complex process involving genetic, hormonal and environmental mechanisms.
When grey and you are not besties, here’s how you cover it...

CHENNAI: Ageing is an unavoidable reality of life irrespective of gender and race. It is a complex process involving genetic, hormonal and environmental mechanisms. One of the major theories regarding ageing is free radical theory, or oxidative stress.

Free radicals are highlyreactive molecules which directly damages cellular membranes, proteins, lipids and even DNA in our body. With age, production of free radicals in the body increases and this leads to progressive damage to the cellular structures resulting in wrinkling of skin, whitening of hair etc. When it comes to hair, ageing is associated with whitening or greying of hair, which is loss of melanin — the natural colouring pigment from hair.

If greying occurs before the age of 25 in Asians, it is called premature greying. Since grey hair is viewed as a sign of old age and it leads to low self-esteem and social disgrace.
While premature greying is generally inherited genetically, it is also associated with several autoimmune disorders such as Vitiligo, Addison’s disease, Grave’s disease, Werner’s syndrome and Progeria to name a few. Other reasons include nutritional deficiencies (Vitamin B12 deficiency), stress, use of certain drugs and also urban lifestyles.

Premature greying has also been reported in patients with HIV infection, cystic fibrosis, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Smoking and exposure to UV radiation are the other factors which are associated with greying. Though extensive research have been carried out in the molecular level to understand the underlying reasons of premature greying, the mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Hence, the treatment options and effective therapies still remain elusive.
Despite the fact that complete reversal of greying is impossible, some curative measures exist to cover them. Here are a few remedies to cover or delay greying of hair...

(The writer is a pricipal scientist at CavinKare R&D)

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