How to Treat Gray Hair in Adolescents

Jun 29, 2024 Source: Cainiu Health
Disease description:

I started to gradually develop white hairs on my head since I was in junior high school, and now the number of white hairs is increasing. I would like to seek treatment. Could you please tell me how to treat premature graying in adolescents?

Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Treatment for premature graying in adolescents can be approached from multiple aspects: 1. Adjust lifestyle: Ensure adequate sleep, avoid staying up late, reduce academic stress, maintain a cheerful mood, and avoid anxiety or depression. Reasonably schedule work and rest periods to achieve a balance between activity and rest, which helps maintain endocrine balance, improve scalp blood circulation, and promote hair growth. 2. Balanced diet: Focus on nutritional balance in diet, and consume more foods rich in zinc, vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, copper, selenium, and other vitamins and minerals, such as black sesame seeds, black beans, black fungus, eggs, pork liver, milk, etc. Avoid picky eating to ensure comprehensive nutrition, which aids melanin production and improves hair color. 3. Medication treatment: Address possible underlying causes such as anemia or hyperthyroidism under the guidance of a physician. For example, patients with anemia may take folic acid tablets or ferrous fumarate tablets; patients with hyperthyroidism may take methimazole tablets or propylthiouracil tablets. 4. Scalp care: Regularly massage the scalp to improve blood circulation, which supports healthy hair follicles and enhances hair nutrition supply. 5. Psychological adjustment: Learn psychological wellness and regulation techniques, maintain a pleasant mood, and avoid excessive mental stress that may lead to endocrine disorders and affect hair growth. 6. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) regulation: According to TCM theory, premature graying in adolescents is related to insufficient kidney water and excessive liver fire. Under a physician's guidance, Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu) and Lycium barbarum (Gou Qi Zi) may be used to nourish kidney water, reduce liver fire, and improve hair color.