What early gray hair can tell you about your health

Genetics, stress, and bad luck can all contribute to graying hair at a young age.

In most cases there is nothing to worry about. Given the fact that Silver is now ‘in’, some people may enjoy the new look.

But doctors warn that in some cases, a sudden burst of gray or white could be a sign of an underlying health problem.

Some of these can be caused by simple vitamin deficiencies, which can be reversed simply by exposure to sunlight. It can be a sign of an autoimmune disease or even a brain tumor.

vitamin D deficiency

The key to maintaining color is exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D, a nutrient that the skin absorbs from sunlight, plays an important role in melanocyte development.

In a 2013 studya team of Indian researchers found that teens suffering from vitamin D deficiency were more likely to have gray hair.

This means that hair pigment can return if a person takes more of the vitamin, so while it is reassuring for some, it indicates a potentially dangerous deficiency.

Vitamin D is key to the body’s ability to process calcium, which is necessary for bone health in humans.

Conditions such as osteoporosis, where bone density, strength, or structure is weakened, can be caused by vitamin D deficiency.

Not getting enough sunlight can also cause fatigue, unhappiness, muscle pain, weakness, and other symptoms.

In some cases, a lack of vitamin D causes hair follicles to break down and begin to fall out.

brain tumor

Tuberous sclerosis complex is another genetic disease that forms benign tumors in the brain, spine, eyes, lungs, heart, and kidneys.

Genetic disorders affect approximately 1 in 6,000 children born in the United States.

In one-fifth of these cases, babies born with this disease will suffer from polyosis – white patches of hair that don’t match the rest of the head.

This condition is caused by a deficiency of melanin in the hair, or the pigment produced by melanocytes that are responsible for the coloration in many organisms.

White spots are a mild symptom, but may indicate more serious problems down the road.

Tuberous sclerosis tumors grow around the body and can interfere with the body’s functions.

Tumor growth around the brain can cause seizures because it can harm brain activity.

Previous studies have also associated the tumor with an increased risk of developing autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Tumors that form in the eyes can cause vision problems, and tumors in the heart and lungs can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath and irregular heartbeats.

These cases are usually discovered in childhood, but some are not inherited and develop later in life.

These occur through random genetic errors that occur in some people.

von Recklinghausen disease

Neurofibromatosis type 1, known to doctors as NF-1 or von Recklinghausen disease, is a disease in which tumors grow along the nerves of a person.

The disease is inherited genetically and affects 1 in 3,000 people.

One of the tell-tale signs of this disease is discoloration of the hair. This can be especially uncomfortable for young children who develop the disease.

Because people are usually born with the disorder, symptoms may begin at an early age.

Korean researcher Report published in 2014 A 5-year-old boy suffering from NF-1 who started to develop gray hairs just above his forehead.

They say this happened because mottling is a symptom of NF-1. Mottling is the absence of cells called melanocytes in the hair and skin.

These cells are responsible for the color of these organs.

It also describes other symptoms of NF-1, such as skin discoloration.

Other symptoms include light brown patches around the skin, freckles under the arms or in the groin, and small lumps that form under the skin.

Although the disease is considered mild, its symptoms can often be shocking to patients.The tumors associated with it are benign and rarely develop into cancer.

Vitiligo

A well-known and fairly common condition, vitiligo not only causes discoloration of the skin, but can also cause white spots to appear on the hair.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s own natural cells.

In this disease, the immune system believes that melanocytes in the body are foreign. Without melanocytes, the body develops white patches around the skin.

Occasionally, the body begins to target the melanocytes in the hair, causing discoloration to spread through the hair.

The disease affects about 1% of people with varying levels of severity. A small percentage of these people will suffer from vitiligo in their hair.

Some people try steroid creams, topical treatments, and other medications to treat vitiligo, but experts aren’t sure if there is a cure for it.

In some cases, the loss of pigment continues throughout life, while others suffer only from small patches that never grow back.

Symptoms are mild and there are no other significant side effects associated with this disease.