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Page 62 -- LACK OF HAIR PIGMENT

World of Hair Table of Contents - Hair Care and Hair Products Research Gray Hairs - Greying Hair Asian black hair - high levels of eumelanin Cosmetic Hair Treatments Hair Care Index
salt and pepper hair overnight gray hair alopecia areata
This gentleman's hair went gray very quickly, almost in the legendary 'overnight' fashion. (Left) His hair was naturally a mixture
of pigmented and unpigmented (white) hairs, the so-called 'salt and pepper' look. (Center) In an acute episode of alopecia areata he lost the pigmented hairs, leaving only the unpigmented ones. (Right) He recovered spontaneously, and when his hair re-grew the 'salt and pepper' mixture returned
Premature graying
Very rarely, an individual's hair may begin to turn gray at an unexpectedly early age - before the age of 20 in Caucasoids and before 30 in Africans. In some people the cause is a medical condition. More usually it is due to the presence of a  particular gene.

Albinism

Albinism is an inherited condition in which there is little or no pigment in the hair. An albino's hair is startlingly pale, either light yellow or nearly white. Albino skin is also pale, even in African people.
   Where the condition is severe the eyes lack pigment too, and look pink: albino people often have poor vision.

Acquired color defects

Inflammation in the hair follicle, which can occur in shingles, damages the melanocytes and may lead to loss of hair color. So too may exposure to X-rays, though very rarely a deeper color develops. Occasionally white patches form in the beard after dental treatment.

  silver streak in hair

This lady developed the silver streak in her hair before she was twenty - as did her mother: the feature is genetically determined
Gray Hairs - Greying Hair Asian black hair - high levels of eumelanin Cosmetic Hair Treatments hair care index