Gray hair is a natural sign of aging, but new research suggests it might not be inevitable. Researchers are working on an innovative approach using immunotherapy to restore pigment to hair that’s gone gray.
How it Works
By using drugs that stimulate part of the immune system, researchers think they may be able to prevent or even reverse the graying process. The idea started with an unexpected finding in cancer patients who experienced re-pigmentation of their gray hair after being treated with an immunotherapy drug.
Hair goes gray as we age due to changes in the pigment-making stem cells called melanocytes that live in and around your hair. Stress can also lead to graying by causing your body to release norepinephrine, a hormone that spurs the melanocytes to leave the hair follicle, contributing to gray hair.
Researchers believe that losing melanocytes as we age is the major reason why we gray, and getting the pigment back is a matter of rejuvenating that pigmentation system by reactivating those stem cells. So far, the results have been promising, but more and larger-scale research in humans will be needed before the treatment has a chance of hitting the market.
Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.
