Fast-Graying Hair May Be Symptom of Other Disease

We know that most male hair loss is hormone driven. For women who lose hair, it’s often due to another type of hormonal problem, such as an underperforming thyroid or exhausted adrenal glands. ShutterStock

While graying comes with age, and premature graying may be hereditary, in some cases it’s not due to merely a genetically influenced decrease in melanin. In fact, oftentimes when hair goes gray quickly, it is a signal from the body indicating poor health in other areas.

Melanin, which makes one’s hair black, is produced by the melanocytes in hair follicles. According to Dr. Zhang Hongjia, an attending physician at Peng Xianli Dermatology Clinic, any factor that causes the reduction or death of melanocytes can be the cause of early graying.