Greying of Hair in Children – Causes, Treatments & Prevention

SIGNS OF WHITE HAIR IN CHILDREN? HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP!

Spotting grey hair in children can be ignored casually by parents as it is usually considered normal in most circumstances until or unless there is excess grey hair found in your child’s head at an early age. The greying of hair in children can be an indication of serious problems like nutritional deficiencies or genetic drift. However, parents can manage such situations by getting into details of each factor leading to white hair in kids.

UNDERSTANDING GREYING OF HAIRS IN CHILDREN: –

Grey hair usually occurs with the normal process of aging. But parents finding more than two or three strands of white hair in their kid’s head must take notice and talk to healthcare professionals to dig out the reasons behind it.

THE GREYING OF HAIR IN CHILDREN-CAUSES: –

For clarification, the discussion here is not about having one strand of white hair, as there is nothing to be concerned about. Yes, even a child can have colorless hair sometimes.

We are focusing on premature greying of hair. There are several reasons for premature greying. Even a kid can grow grey hair from infancy to teenage years due to the following reasons.

Genetic Factors: –

This is one of the most common reasons for having grey hair in children. If premature greying of hair happens in one or more of your family members at an early age, then there is a high chance that kids will also start growing white hair typically in their school-age era.

Vitamins Deficiency: –

It is preferred that every child takes vitamins like B12, zinc, copper, Vitamin D, folic acid, and selenium from childhood to avoid weakness in children. These vitamins are especially important in combating anemia and a lesser amount of such vitamins in the blood leads to children having grey hair.

Underlying medical conditions: –

Certain medical conditions can lead to the greying of hair in children at an early age.

Vitiligo: –

It is a skin disease that affects the color-producing parts of your hair follicles, So a child with this disease experiences premature greying.

Alopecia areata: –

It is an unpredictable non-scaring hair loss condition. There is a strong relation of alopecia and greying of hair.

Thyroid disease: –

Thyroid dysfunction in the body can increase oxidative stress that can cause hair damage. early greying of hair can be linked to autoimmune thyroid disease i.e. (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism)

Poor Diet: –

Hypopigmentation and early greying of hair is associated with the deficiency of folic acid, protein, and vitamin B12, which directly influences hair health and their color by being vital nutrients for the hair

Stress: –

Stress is also one of the causes of the early greying of hair in children and there are various kinds of stress. Numerous research suggests the fact that children are accompanied by premature greying hair through the impact of emotional stress.

Use of some shampoos and conditioners: –

One of the probable causes of the greying of hair in children may well be the use of synthetic products such as shampoos and conditioners. They have chemicals that can make kids’ hair dry and frizzy as they are meant to be used by adults. For children, parents should use baby shampoos and conditioners.

WHEN TO CALL A DOCTOR?

In general, when there are more than one or two strands of grey hair in the head of the children’s parents must then speak to their doctor to find out why that is so. They will perform a full medical examination of the kid’s medical history to his/her diet. They can also request for the family history to eliminate any cause of early greying.

IS THERE ANY CHANCE TO REVERSE THE SITUATION?

The answer to this is No! There is no medical treatment that can change the grey hair into black again. The only way to prevent it is by giving your child food full of nutrition and vitamins. Because poor nutrition is typically to blame for premature graying.

MANAGEMENT OF GREY HAIR IN CHILDREN: –

It is tricky to manage white hair but can be controlled by taking the following measures under consideration.

ADDRESSES HEALTH CONCERNS OF CHILDREN: –

There is no magic pill you can take to reverse grey hairs, but if there is an obvious source of your child’s premature graying, you can work with their doctor to promote healthier hair growth. If your child has thyroid disease, for example, managing their thyroid health may stop the growth of grey hair. You can also ask your child’s doctor for help implementing some home remedies or adding certain foods and supplements to your child’s diet, like vitamin B complex, which may encourage healthy hair color.

DON’T BOTHER ABOUT IT: –

Your child’s white hair may be reversible depending on the cause, in which case it may be preferable to leave the grey hair alone. They will eventually shed, and new hair colored will grow in. You and your child may decide to accept the gray and leave it as it is, even if it cannot be reversed.

PAINT IT: -.

You can choose to color your child’s hair to cover the grays, whether you use a box dye or take them to a salon that caters to children. Most of the wash-out, temporary hair dyes are safe for children to use, but experts differ on when children can safely use permanent dye. Keep in mind that once you start coloring your hair, you will need to keep it looking its best as it grows. In addition, if you decide to grow the color out, it will take months or a noticeably short haircut! to do so.

PREVENTION: –

To stop the growth of white hair in the future, it is possible to treat or eliminate other factors that contribute to gray hair, such as autoimmune disorders and vitamin deficiencies. However, genetic reasons can never be treated or prevented.