Just like wrinkles, grey hairs are a visible sign of ageing and can appear as early as in our twenties. Hair that is greying is a combination of normally pigmented hairs interspersed with white ones. Hair turns white when the pigmentation cells (melanin) responsible for giving hair it’s colour stop being produced. Our predisposition to go grey earlier or later in life is genetic. However, diet, lifestyle and stress levels can also affect the rate at which grey hair appears. Although grey hair that has been brought on by stress can be reduced, grey hairs caused by natural ageing and genetics are not likely to return to pigmented hairs.
By the age of 50, half of the population (both men and women) would have lost around 50% of the colour in their hair. When researchers looked in to the stats, they found that 74% of people aged between 45 and 65 had grey hair with an average intensity or 27%. In general, men have more grey hair than women. Asian and African people experience less grey hair than Caucasians.
If you’re a woman experiencing hair that is greying, you may wish to disguise this by colouring the hair, as grey hair can often give the appearance of premature ageing and this is something that every woman wants to delay. Unfairly or not, for men, it seems that it’s more acceptable for grey hair to appear and phrases such as ‘distinguished’ and ‘salt and pepper’ have been used to describe men with hair that is greying.
However, if you are looking to improve the appearance of your greying hair, it might be worth considering non-surgical thickening solutions to disguise and improve greying hair.
Tricopigmentation is a tattooing process which can give the effect of thicker hair for those with short to mid-length hair. Applying pigment in dots on to the scalp could bring a renewed colour to the hair and offer a more salt and pepper look, rather than a full grey effect.
Taking medications such as Finasteride and Minoxidil could improve the thickness of the hair and encourage new hair growth which may not appear to be grey. These oral and topical medications need to be properly prescribed by a doctor for safety and efficacy.
Laser therapy (LLLT) such as the light cap or laser cap could help restore hair growth and disguise grey hairs. This treatment can be applied in the clinic and used at home for optimum results.
Whatever you think about greying hair, there are solutions to minimise its appearance and to improve the overall quality, texture and thickness of your hair. If you’re considering hair restoration, speaking with an experienced specialist, such as our medical director Dr. Munir Somji
For more information, contact our team to make a no obligation consultation on 0208 418 0362 and find out which option would be best for you.
