What causes white hair?
Disease description:
Recently, I suddenly started developing gray hair, and I would like to understand what causes gray hair to appear.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
The main causes of white hair include:
1. Physiological factors: With aging, hair follicles gradually atrophy and melanin production decreases, leading to white hair. This is a normal physiological phenomenon.
2. Genetic factors: Genetic diseases such as albinism and progeria may cause white hair, as these conditions affect the production or distribution of melanin.
3. Psychological factors: Long-term depression, anxiety, emotional fluctuations, stress, and other psychological factors may also lead to white hair.
4. Nutritional deficiencies: Deficiencies in B vitamins, copper, iron, manganese, and other trace elements, as well as protein, can affect melanin synthesis, leading to white hair.
5. Disease-related factors: Conditions such as vitiligo, thyroid disease, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, pernicious anemia, and cancer may affect the function of melanocytes in hair follicles or the endocrine system, resulting in white hair.
