Instant grey hair

steenkh · 1st March 2008, 11:04 AM

One of my colleagues told me that a tuft of hair had gone grey after a biopsy. She had a birthmark on her head, and her hairdresser had noticed that the mark had changed colour and was growing, and a bi0opsy of the birthmark was taken. The next day, the hair on the spot where the biopsy was taken had become grey (I would call it "very light", because it was not really grey in my opinion).

What aroused my interest was the fact that the hair was not just growing out as grey, but the entire length of had apparently changed colour, which should be impossible.

Have anybody an explanation?

I have one tentative explanation, but in order not to bias anyone, I will keep it myself a little longer.

(And I would like to congratulate myself for writing post 2000! Proof that I use way too much time on the forum. But I thoroughly enjoy it!)

Modified · 1st March 2008, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by steenkh

One of my colleagues told me that a tuft of hair had gone grey after a biopsy. She had a birthmark on her head, and her hairdresser had noticed that the mark had changed colour and was growing, and a bi0opsy of the birthmark was taken. The next day, the hair on the spot where the biopsy was taken had become grey (I would call it "very light", because it was not really grey in my opinion).

What aroused my interest was the fact that the hair was not just growing out as grey, but the entire length of had apparently changed colour, which should be impossible.

Have anybody an explanation?

I have one tentative explanation, but in order not to bias anyone, I will keep it myself a little longer.

Whatever they put on there to sterilize the area for the biopsy bleached the hair.

kerikiwi · 1st March 2008, 11:58 AM

Definitely bleached.
The hair shaft will not suddenly change colour without a bleaching agent.
Any other claim is a case of lying or delusion.

Lisa Simpson · 1st March 2008, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Modified

Whatever they put on there to sterilize the area for the biopsy bleached the hair.

Possibly something related to peroxide.

LibraryLady · 1st March 2008, 12:03 PM

Or if the lock of hair was grey underneath and it was cut. My hair is grey underneath and as I get haircuts, it gets greyer.

Modified · 1st March 2008, 12:04 PM

I have heard that if you have a mix of gray / non-gray hair, all the non-gray hair can fall out over a short period of time, making it appear that the hair "turned gray" quickly. I suspect that may be true, because my gray hair is much thicker and wavier than the non-gray, so there are probably differences in the roots. That wouldn't apply in this case though.

XBoxWarrior · 1st March 2008, 08:51 PM

So, can we get a consensus?

Is it "Grey" or "Gray"?

I like to think that my red locks are just turning more "White", and thusly much more "enlightened"...or so I tell my self, in the dark hours.

shadron · 1st March 2008, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by XBoxWarrior

So, can we get a consensus?

Is it "Grey" or "Gray"?

A foolish consistency is a hobnail. I think.

JoeEllison · 1st March 2008, 09:18 PM

Or... that patch was already a lighter color, and no one noticed until the biopsy? "Bleached" was already taken.

Wolfman · 1st March 2008, 10:19 PM

The doctors are actually in league with the alien/NWO hordes, and used the opportunity to surgically implant a mind control device; the radiation from the device caused the hair to turn gray.

steenkh · 2nd March 2008, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by JoeEllison

Or... that patch was already a lighter color, and no one noticed until the biopsy? "Bleached" was already taken.

Exactly my theory. The patch of hair that grew on the birthmark could have had another colour for some time. Although the hair was lighter than the rest, it looked like those grey strains that people go to their hairdresser to get done.

Bleaching is unlikely, because the patch was too small, and it would be unlikely that the bleaching agent had not affected more hair.

Can it be confirmed that hair on birthmarks can change colour before the rest of the hair does?

JoeEllison · 2nd March 2008, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by steenkh

Exactly my theory. The patch of hair that grew on the birthmark could have had another colour for some time. Although the hair was lighter than the rest, it looked like those grey strains that people go to their hairdresser to get done.

Bleaching is unlikely, because the patch was too small, and it would be unlikely that the bleaching agent had not affected more hair.

Can it be confirmed that hair on birthmarks can change colour before the rest of the hair does?

Yes... anecdotally. Which, I suppose means not at all.

Just for the sake of discussion, I knew someone in school with a birthmark on his scalp, and the hair growing from that spot was a lighter color than the rest of his hair.

Mojo · 2nd March 2008, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by Modified

I have heard that if you have a mix of gray / non-gray hair, all the non-gray hair can fall out over a short period of time, making it appear that the hair "turned gray" quickly. I suspect that may be true, because my gray hair is much thicker and wavier than the non-gray, so there are probably differences in the roots. That wouldn't apply in this case though.

Someone I know has alopecia in patches on his scalp, but only the dark hairs fell out with the result that he appears to have patches of white hair (if you look closely the white patches are thinner than the rest of his hair, but it's not something that's particularly noticeable). The rest of his hair is dark enough for the white to be masked, so doesn't look particularly grey.

casebro · 2nd March 2008, 06:58 AM

There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare.

My hair rapidly turned salt & pepper after a scare involving some power equipment. Not totally gray, not overnight, but that was the definitive turning point towards gray. I was about 32 at the time.

I have very fine hair- blonds run in the family, but mine was brown. Well, it was straight and blond as a child, went curly and brown at puberty, later turned gray. But, when wet, it looks to be a LOT browner. I wonder if hair color isn't like bird feathers, where they only look colorful? Actually the colors are caused by iridescence- surface texture at nano-scale? Could some kind of stress at the roots cause the grayness? Oil or acid that creeps up the hair shaft to change the nanos? If bleach can change the color, why couldn't some chemical change in the follicle do the same?

steenkh · 2nd March 2008, 07:31 AM

Originally Posted by casebro

There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare.

I believe this is an established fact. It just does not happen overnight, but new hair grows out grey.

Quote:

Actually the colors are caused by iridescence- surface texture at nano-scale? Could some kind of stress at the roots cause the grayness? Oil or acid that creeps up the hair shaft to change the nanos?

That is not what I have heard. Hair colour is the result of some dyes, mainly melanin. Nano-scale colours would cause hair to shimmer in different colours like some butterflies that do not use dyes for their colours.

Professor Yaffle · 2nd March 2008, 08:15 AM

In a related query, I was always led to believe that once a particular hair had turned white, it will always be white, but I have discovered this is not always true, as I have some hairs that are white, but recent grown has been pigmented. Anyone know anything about this?

bethanythemartian · 2nd March 2008, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

In a related query, I was always led to believe that once a particular hair had turned white, it will always be white, but I have discovered this is not always true, as I have some hairs that are white, but recent grown has been pigmented. Anyone know anything about this?

I *think* that once a gray hair falls out, either one can grow to replace it. My boyfriend, who's 24, has been graying since he was 16. Some years it's not as bad as others, although he got a lot of gray in when he shaved his head.

What also might be happening is patches that look gray suddenly look less gray because your natural color of hair was growing, and recently got long enough to change the way the color appeared.

I was actually pretty bummed- I got hit in the back of the head by a firework two years ago, and I kept hoping that patch would grow in white. No such luck.

Complexity · 2nd March 2008, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by XBoxWarrior

So, can we get a consensus?

Is it "Grey" or "Gray"?

I like to think that my red locks are just turning more "White", and thusly much more "enlightened"...or so I tell my self, in the dark hours.

No concensus is possible on this question.

I use both words but not interchangably - they mean different things to me.

Mojo · 2nd March 2008, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by steenkh

Quote:

There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare.

I believe this is an established fact. It just does not happen overnight, but new hair grows out grey.

I think it's possible that reports of people going grey "overnight" after a shock may be explained by the case of alopecia I've referred to above. Alopecia can be triggered by stress, and if it were to make the darker hairs fall out, as it seems to have done in the case of my acquaintance, this could lead to someone appearing to go grey "overnight".

Professor Yaffle · 2nd March 2008, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by bethanythemartian

I *think* that once a gray hair falls out, either one can grow to replace it. My boyfriend, who's 24, has been graying since he was 16. Some years it's not as bad as others, although he got a lot of gray in when he shaved his head.

What also might be happening is patches that look gray suddenly look less gray because your natural color of hair was growing, and recently got long enough to change the way the color appeared.

I was actually pretty bummed- I got hit in the back of the head by a firework two years ago, and I kept hoping that patch would grow in white. No such luck.

I am actually talking about a single hair. I have had several that had turned white, but then as they kept growing I noticed that they were brown at the root. Thinking about it, I noticed it when I was pregnant, and you do get more pigmentation when pregnant, so maybe that's the explanation?

Edit: (OT) I was just wondering about the grey/gray difference. It seems to be a mainly UK/US difference, but I have noticed in the UK there is a geographical difference in the spelling when it is used as a surname. In the NE of England we mainly spell it Grey (it is my maiden name) and in Scotland it is mainly Gray - even though they still spell the colour as grey.

http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Map.aspx?name=GREY&year=1998&altyear=1881&country= GB&type=name

http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Map.aspx?name=GRAY&year=1998&altyear=1881&country= GB&type=name

1st March 2008, 11:04 AM	#1
steenkh Illuminator Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 3,450	Instant grey hair One of my colleagues told me that a tuft of hair had gone grey after a biopsy. She had a birthmark on her head, and her hairdresser had noticed that the mark had changed colour and was growing, and a bi0opsy of the birthmark was taken. The next day, the hair on the spot where the biopsy was taken had become grey (I would call it "very light", because it was not really grey in my opinion). What aroused my interest was the fact that the hair was not just growing out as grey, but the entire length of had apparently changed colour, which should be impossible. Have anybody an explanation? I have one tentative explanation, but in order not to bias anyone, I will keep it myself a little longer. (And I would like to congratulate myself for writing post 2000! Proof that I use way too much time on the forum. But I thoroughly enjoy it!)
	__________________ Steen -- Jack of all trades - master of none!

1st March 2008, 12:00 PM	#4
Lisa Simpson THE Lisa Simpson Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 20,039	Originally Posted by Modified Whatever they put on there to sterilize the area for the biopsy bleached the hair. Possibly something related to peroxide.
	__________________ That's what the Internet does -- you get a free bonus prize of Stupid Lies with every box of Delicious Facts. - cracked.com Facts are satanic litter on the heavenly highway to blind faith! - Betty Bowers

1st March 2008, 12:03 PM	#5
LibraryLady ...but not JUST a LibraryLady Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Building a house in the common ground Posts: 13,058	Or if the lock of hair was grey underneath and it was cut. My hair is grey underneath and as I get haircuts, it gets greyer.
	__________________ What would Hüsker Dü? I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about. Mildred Loving

1st March 2008, 09:18 PM	#9
JoeEllison Cuddly Like a Koala Bear Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 7,276	Or... that patch was already a lighter color, and no one noticed until the biopsy? "Bleached" was already taken.
	Last edited by JoeEllison; 1st March 2008 at 09:18 PM.

1st March 2008, 10:19 PM	#10
Wolfman Chief Solipsistic Autosycophant Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dongguan, China Posts: 11,809	The doctors are actually in league with the alien/NWO hordes, and used the opportunity to surgically implant a mind control device; the radiation from the device caused the hair to turn gray.
	__________________ The Meta-Solipsistic Autosycophant mantra: "I post, therefore I am nominated"

1st March 2008, 11:50 AM	#2
Modified Illuminator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 4,062	Originally Posted by steenkh One of my colleagues told me that a tuft of hair had gone grey after a biopsy. She had a birthmark on her head, and her hairdresser had noticed that the mark had changed colour and was growing, and a bi0opsy of the birthmark was taken. The next day, the hair on the spot where the biopsy was taken had become grey (I would call it "very light", because it was not really grey in my opinion). What aroused my interest was the fact that the hair was not just growing out as grey, but the entire length of had apparently changed colour, which should be impossible. Have anybody an explanation? I have one tentative explanation, but in order not to bias anyone, I will keep it myself a little longer. Whatever they put on there to sterilize the area for the biopsy bleached the hair.

1st March 2008, 11:58 AM	#3
kerikiwi Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bay of Islands NZ Posts: 5,843	Definitely bleached. The hair shaft will not suddenly change colour without a bleaching agent. Any other claim is a case of lying or delusion.

1st March 2008, 12:04 PM	#6
Modified Illuminator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 4,062	I have heard that if you have a mix of gray / non-gray hair, all the non-gray hair can fall out over a short period of time, making it appear that the hair "turned gray" quickly. I suspect that may be true, because my gray hair is much thicker and wavier than the non-gray, so there are probably differences in the roots. That wouldn't apply in this case though.

1st March 2008, 08:51 PM	#7
XBoxWarrior Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Down in the Treme... Posts: 1,232	So, can we get a consensus? Is it "Grey" or "Gray"? I like to think that my red locks are just turning more "White", and thusly much more "enlightened"...or so I tell my self, in the dark hours.

1st March 2008, 09:17 PM	#8
shadron Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 5,717	Originally Posted by XBoxWarrior So, can we get a consensus? Is it "Grey" or "Gray"? A foolish consistency is a hobnail. I think.

2nd March 2008, 01:05 AM	#11
steenkh Illuminator Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 3,450	Originally Posted by JoeEllison Or... that patch was already a lighter color, and no one noticed until the biopsy? "Bleached" was already taken. Exactly my theory. The patch of hair that grew on the birthmark could have had another colour for some time. Although the hair was lighter than the rest, it looked like those grey strains that people go to their hairdresser to get done. Bleaching is unlikely, because the patch was too small, and it would be unlikely that the bleaching agent had not affected more hair. Can it be confirmed that hair on birthmarks can change colour before the rest of the hair does?
	__________________ Steen -- Jack of all trades - master of none!

2nd March 2008, 01:13 AM	#12
JoeEllison Cuddly Like a Koala Bear Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 7,276	Originally Posted by steenkh Exactly my theory. The patch of hair that grew on the birthmark could have had another colour for some time. Although the hair was lighter than the rest, it looked like those grey strains that people go to their hairdresser to get done. Bleaching is unlikely, because the patch was too small, and it would be unlikely that the bleaching agent had not affected more hair. Can it be confirmed that hair on birthmarks can change colour before the rest of the hair does? Yes... anecdotally. Which, I suppose means not at all. Just for the sake of discussion, I knew someone in school with a birthmark on his scalp, and the hair growing from that spot was a lighter color than the rest of his hair.

2nd March 2008, 02:09 AM	#13
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,066	Originally Posted by Modified I have heard that if you have a mix of gray / non-gray hair, all the non-gray hair can fall out over a short period of time, making it appear that the hair "turned gray" quickly. I suspect that may be true, because my gray hair is much thicker and wavier than the non-gray, so there are probably differences in the roots. That wouldn't apply in this case though. Someone I know has alopecia in patches on his scalp, but only the dark hairs fell out with the result that he appears to have patches of white hair (if you look closely the white patches are thinner than the rest of his hair, but it's not something that's particularly noticeable). The rest of his hair is dark enough for the white to be masked, so doesn't look particularly grey.
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

2nd March 2008, 06:58 AM	#14
casebro Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,784	There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare. My hair rapidly turned salt & pepper after a scare involving some power equipment. Not totally gray, not overnight, but that was the definitive turning point towards gray. I was about 32 at the time. I have very fine hair- blonds run in the family, but mine was brown. Well, it was straight and blond as a child, went curly and brown at puberty, later turned gray. But, when wet, it looks to be a LOT browner. I wonder if hair color isn't like bird feathers, where they only look colorful? Actually the colors are caused by iridescence- surface texture at nano-scale? Could some kind of stress at the roots cause the grayness? Oil or acid that creeps up the hair shaft to change the nanos? If bleach can change the color, why couldn't some chemical change in the follicle do the same?
casebro Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,784	__________________ Please pardon me for having ideas, not facts. Some have called me cynical, but I don't believe them. It's not how many breaths you take. It's how many times you have been breathless that counts.

2nd March 2008, 07:31 AM	#15
steenkh Illuminator Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 3,450	Originally Posted by casebro There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare. I believe this is an established fact. It just does not happen overnight, but new hair grows out grey. Quote: Actually the colors are caused by iridescence- surface texture at nano-scale? Could some kind of stress at the roots cause the grayness? Oil or acid that creeps up the hair shaft to change the nanos? That is not what I have heard. Hair colour is the result of some dyes, mainly melanin. Nano-scale colours would cause hair to shimmer in different colours like some butterflies that do not use dyes for their colours.
	__________________ Steen -- Jack of all trades - master of none!

2nd March 2008, 08:15 AM	#16
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,325	In a related query, I was always led to believe that once a particular hair had turned white, it will always be white, but I have discovered this is not always true, as I have some hairs that are white, but recent grown has been pigmented. Anyone know anything about this?
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

2nd March 2008, 08:25 AM	#17
bethanythemartian Scholar Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 52	Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle In a related query, I was always led to believe that once a particular hair had turned white, it will always be white, but I have discovered this is not always true, as I have some hairs that are white, but recent grown has been pigmented. Anyone know anything about this? I think that once a gray hair falls out, either one can grow to replace it. My boyfriend, who's 24, has been graying since he was 16. Some years it's not as bad as others, although he got a lot of gray in when he shaved his head. What also might be happening is patches that look gray suddenly look less gray because your natural color of hair was growing, and recently got long enough to change the way the color appeared. I was actually pretty bummed- I got hit in the back of the head by a firework two years ago, and I kept hoping that patch would grow in white. No such luck.
bethanythemartian Scholar Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 52

2nd March 2008, 08:49 AM	#18
Complexity The Woo Whisperer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 9,263	Originally Posted by XBoxWarrior So, can we get a consensus? Is it "Grey" or "Gray"? I like to think that my red locks are just turning more "White", and thusly much more "enlightened"...or so I tell my self, in the dark hours. No concensus is possible on this question. I use both words but not interchangably - they mean different things to me.
	__________________ "It is a great nuisance that knowledge can only be acquired by hard work." - W. Somerset Maugham "Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible; thought is merciless to privilege, established intuititions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man." - Bertrand Russell

2nd March 2008, 10:22 AM	#19
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,066	Originally Posted by steenkh Quote: There is certainly lore of hair turning gray after a scare. I believe this is an established fact. It just does not happen overnight, but new hair grows out grey. I think it's possible that reports of people going grey "overnight" after a shock may be explained by the case of alopecia I've referred to above. Alopecia can be triggered by stress, and if it were to make the darker hairs fall out, as it seems to have done in the case of my acquaintance, this could lead to someone appearing to go grey "overnight".
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

2nd March 2008, 10:27 AM	#20
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,325	Originally Posted by bethanythemartian I think that once a gray hair falls out, either one can grow to replace it. My boyfriend, who's 24, has been graying since he was 16. Some years it's not as bad as others, although he got a lot of gray in when he shaved his head. What also might be happening is patches that look gray suddenly look less gray because your natural color of hair was growing, and recently got long enough to change the way the color appeared. I was actually pretty bummed- I got hit in the back of the head by a firework two years ago, and I kept hoping that patch would grow in white. No such luck. I am actually talking about a single hair. I have had several that had turned white, but then as they kept growing I noticed that they were brown at the root. Thinking about it, I noticed it when I was pregnant, and you do get more pigmentation when pregnant, so maybe that's the explanation? Edit: (OT) I was just wondering about the grey/gray difference. It seems to be a mainly UK/US difference, but I have noticed in the UK there is a geographical difference in the spelling when it is used as a surname. In the NE of England we mainly spell it Grey (it is my maiden name) and in Scotland it is mainly Gray - even though they still spell the colour as grey. http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Map.aspx?name=GREY&year=1998&altyear=1881&country= GB&type=name http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Map.aspx?name=GRAY&year=1998&altyear=1881&country= GB&type=name
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat Last edited by Professor Yaffle; 2nd March 2008 at 10:39 AM.