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Conditions

Premature Greying

Going prematurely grey

Becoming a refined, silver-haired beauty like former newsreader, Anna Ford, or a ‘silver fox’ like Des Lynam, is perfectly acceptable with age. However, grey hair can sometimes besiege the bonces of the young, often during the teenage years. Interestingly, we all begin life with white hair, which then gets its natural colour before birth due to the formation of the pigment melanin. This subsequently gives us our beautiful and uniquely coloured flowing locks, which usually turn grey between the ages of 35-50 as part our genetic inheritance. Premature greying is often a symptom of Premature Ageing syndromes, but there are many other reasons why it occurs, such as genetic or hormonal factors; external reasons, such as climate, pollutants and toxins; or an underlying medical condition, such as poliosis, which causes localised patches of white hair, or the skin condition vitiligo. Get checked out by your GP if you’re worried. Otherwise, you can either go grey gracefully or reach for the mahogany hair colour.

Comments and Questions

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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

Im 21, at the age of 14 i suffered from a severe case of Alopecia (where u lose your hair). While the majority has grown back, I am noticing a few very random white strands..... im assumng its because of the alopecia....... but i dont know =S





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Hi, I'm only fourteen and I have quite a but of grey hair. My dad went grey early but not this early and I'm worried that I'll have a full head of grey hair by the time I'm eighteen. I'm really stressing over this, neither of my brothers have grey hair and my mum didn't go grey prematurely. I know some people say it's down to stress and I do get quite stressed but all this grey hair is making me MORE stressed and I don't see how to stop getting it at my age without dyeing it. Please help me





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Hi i am 13 and i have been getting grey hair coming through for a while now, i've done some research, and it maybe lack of protein and vitamins or just stress, i do get stressed quite alot, but my main problem is going out with mates, as i can't keep my hair down otherwise they will notice, i am embarrased by this. i have dyed my hair once, but i think to myself, whats the point of dying it if its going to come again, plus i don't want to damage my hair as it has lovely natural curly locks. Help Me!!





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my fried is 12 and around her ears she has LOADS of grey hair and her mums 47 and has a full head of grey hair, i feel ssorry for her





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My friend is 15 now, and she hasnt got that much grey hair...her hair is reasonably darkish brown but ive noticed full strands of grey hair on random parts of her head...is this normal ?





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Hi my partner is 22 and a few months ago I noticed he had a white hair... since then it seems to be spreading like wild fire. He didn't get this from his parents so its a bit odd but I think it makes him look sexy, and lucky for him he loves dying it weird colours when it grows long or shaves it in summer; so we just normally joke about it. I can understand the women and men that say this is hard on them going gray/white at a young age but think about this way... you're young, dye it funkie colours or even buy a wig. my mum has two aunts that wear wigs and you wouldn't even know it, in other words just have fun with your hair its what its there for.





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I've had a grey streak in my hair since I was a toddler, which I have inherited from my father's side. As I've got older the grey has spread. I am now 16, and my hair is almost fully grey. I die my hair using semi-permanent dye, how ever I am worried this is going to ruin my hair in future years, and lead to my hair becoming straw-like. Are there any alternatives?





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Recently, my friends spotted I had grey hair. Not only was this extremely embarassing but also distressing as I'm just 16. I don't really want to dye my hair, is their any chance of these hairs returning to their natural colour?





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I honestly think grey hair on men is very attractive!! I am 26. The guy in this photo is very, very sexy.





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I am fifteen years old, and I am becoming increasingly concerned about the grey hair i am getting, it is just many single strands amongst my usual black hair. Many people have said this could be due to stress, but i am worried that it is not, and i dont want to have to die my hair at this age. I was hoping you could shed some light on this. Thank you.





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Hi Paul & Gemma, please don't worry about this. I too have black hair and white strands showed up at your age. Your friends with paler hair colours probably have them too, my friends did I got them to have a good look but it doesn't show up as easily. I didn't need to reach for the temporary hair dye until my mid 30s.I hope this helps.





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It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





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