Gray Hair: Aesthetics And Maturity

Depending on how long we live and who presents it, we may perceive gray hair as a sign of personality or as neglect.

Gray hair is the white or silvery hair that appears over time.

They have such an impact on people’s lives that there are songs and poems that use them as a resource to talk about coming of age.

What really is gray hair?

Gray hair can also be white or silver.

The hair is colored with a substance called melanin. Its function is to protect the skin against UV rays and all types of invisible lights. It is the same that gives color to the skin and the eyes.

Melanin is produced by melanocytes, cells that form two types. Eumelanin, brown and black, and pheomelanin, yellow or red.

These pigments, with their variations and combinations, can then generate a multiplicity of infinite tones.

The absence of melanin is therefore what causes their appearance.

Why do they appear?

Several studies have determined that the origin is genetic. The other main factor is age, as they appear due to the aging of cells.

• The hair has a lifespan of approximately 3 to 6 years. After this time, they fall.
• If the cells have aged and can no longer produce melanin, then a new white hair will appear.
• When a hairline comes out, the following hair will inevitably be white as well.

There are myths like the belief that when they start, all will come out. This is not true. If you pull out a white hair, another will come out, not several.

When do they appear?

Over time and the body ages, melanocytes decrease the production of melanin.

It occurs first in the hair and later in the rest of the body. In exceptional cases, where genetics influence, gray hair can appear much earlier.

Statistics

Some statistics:

• They appear earlier and in greater quantities in Caucasians. Among Asians and Africans, it comes later.
• Men have more than women.
• They go out in groups. This causes the optical illusion that by pulling one off, many come back.

Do Problems Really Make Hair Gray?

So far, there are no studies that prove this to ensure that stress influences their onset. Stress causes them to fall, and the ones that fall first are the colored browns.

Gray hair in men and women

Acceptance of gray hair is usually a complicated matter, since its appearance is a symptom of aging.

In the West, there is a cult of youth which encourages people to delay this natural process. No one wants wrinkles, saggy skin, gray hair.

The question does not seem the same for men and for women. A gray-haired man usually receives praise as being mature or attractive.

Women are not so lucky. A woman with gray hair is often judged by her appearance. It is believed that she is neglected, that she does not devote time to herself or that she is not paying attention.

There are times when gray hair can be trendy. However, so far, it has not been culturally established in the West that they are the best option, aesthetically speaking.

For men, all is not so rosy. If a man doesn’t feel comfortable with his gray hair, he’s usually hanging on. The reason is that it is not yet socially accepted that men dye themselves.

Most men hide and therefore do so secretly.

Myths about gray hair

Popular beliefs are often imposed on science. The words of grandmothers or those which are constantly repeated can convince the majority.

Here are some of the most common myths:

• Gray hair does not fall out. Wrong, they do indeed fall like all hair.
• Gray hair is gray. False, it is a visual effect. In fact, they are different shades of yellow. Proximity to those of another color makes them appear white, gray or silver.
• Exposure to the sun promotes their appearance. Wrong, the sun lightens the hair, which can then lighten the strands more but does not cause the appearance of gray hair.
• Pulling out gray hair causes more of it to come out. False, as mentioned above, falling hair can only damage the hair follicle and therefore atrophy.