Evidence that “natural re-pigmentation” of gray hair can happen has been postulated by scientists of Columbia University.
As anecdotal evidence gathers, the initial theory that graying cannot be reversed is slowly being debunked by many anecdotes in literature.
Gray hair and balding has various reactions.
To some they seem distinguished, to others it makes balding look even worse and there is a coterie that will not care.
(“Graying makes balding look even worse”
“Gray hair is so distinguished looking.”
“I actually wouldn’t mind having grey hair, so long as I age gracefully with a full head of hair.”)
The first 2 years of this present decade has been so replete with events that gave us gray hairs that you can be forgiven for missing out on a single development that quietly happened, a development in hair loss research-one that gives us hope.
The hope that we can restore those gray hairs back to their original melanin stained gorgeous self. Yes, without coloring!
Our life perspectives and individual goals are always changing. Everything is dynamic and ever changing on earth including our perceptions and our very existence. So when we get a head full of hair with Minoxidil, we now want the tresses to appear darker and not gray even when all your hair have grayed many years back.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
Scientists at Columbia University have created a computer model that suggests how hair gray with advancing age and due to stressful life events. 323 proteins were located that reveal if a given a hair was grey, white, or colored blonde, auburn or platinum at any given point in its life.
Colored and gray hairs were plucked from participants of the study. History of stress in their lives was correlated with occurrence of evidence of depigmentation and repigmentation in their life history.
The result was astounding and quiet reavealing. That de-stressing events can bring the color back to those exhausted fibers. When history of hair so plucked was matched with history of stress and history of removal of stress of their owners, it was found that some pigmented hairs had actually been gray in the past. They went back to normal during the phase when stress was removed or was low.
27 studies in literature discuss medication-induced gray hair repigmentation.
Most medications linked to repigmentation are anti-inflammatory drugs, a lesser number affect melanogenesis, are vitamin supplements, or act on till now obscure mechanisms in the hair pigmentation process.
They include various drugs (thalidomide, lenalidomide, adalimumab, acitretin, etretinate,prednisone, cyclosporin, cisplatinum, interferon-α, psoralen, vitamins such as calcium pantothenate and para-amino benzoic acid, and stimulators of melanogenesis that include latanoprost, erlotinib, imatinib, tamoxifen, and levodopa).
But this has also been said about Biotin and some other vitamins that they can reverse early graying of hair.
While no one is suggesting any of these for repigmenting gray hairs just yet, the mode of action by which graying can be reversed may be helpful for future research.
I have also earlier had patients complaining that Minoxidil caused graying of hair But then I stumbled upon a hair loss sufferer who reported that ever since he has been taking oral Minoxidil, his hair have changed color and surprisingly they do not look ‘aging’!
Even of forums, people who regrow hair using Minoxidil talk about change in hair colour.
So I kept my eyes and ears open during follow ups for patients taking this medication and saw that unlike patients on oral Finasteride, those who regrow hairs using oral Minoxidil do not regrow them in the same color. This finding is mind boggling.
But then I also feel when the hair grows back it looks thicker, longer, shinier with more body and fullness. It may be that since it looks healthier and fuller, it appears darker.
I have also noted that hair reverts to becoming thinner and lighter once one stops using Minoxidil and that hair color looks like its old self before starting Minoxidil.
Hair graying is a complex process regulated by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with treatment options for hair repigmentation currently being investigated. In this systematic review, we identify medications linked to gray hair repigmentation to further delineate potential targets of hair repigmentation therapy.
As evidenced by the many cases of gray hair repigmentation in literature, the onset of graying of hair may not be an irreversible process. The implications of hair repigmentation are noteworthy in improving quality of life of a significant number of patients. While there are over 130 cases of medication-induced gray hair repigmentation reported in the literature, it is noteworthy that many of the medications mentioned have been used by millions of patients and only a small
minority of patients have experienced hair repigmentation. This may be partially due to a lack of patients reporting hair color changes, but might more likely be due to the complex nature of hair follicle pigmentation regulation, which highlights that targeting one mechanism may not be enough to manipulate it.
As evidence debunked by many anecdotes in literature, I think my belief that graying of hair is irreversible is slowly getting debunked.
Unfortunately, many cases are not definitively reproducible
