Science Now Knows Why We Get Gray Hair—Is a Cure in the Works Soon?

Shelby Deering
·5 min read
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For pretty much all of us, gray hair is an inevitability, whether it happens later in life or as young as our twenties. While some individuals simply accept the gray hair and move on, others quest after a seeming fountain of youth as they continue to color their hair, even dyeing it to emulate their natural color.

But what if doing away with gray hair could be as easy as showering with a special shampoo or popping a pill? According to a recent study, a potential “cure” could be a possibility in the future—with some caveats, of course. If a cure were to become available, would you go for it? Or would you let the passage of time take its course?

We asked four experts to weigh in on these new findings and what they mean for gray hair.

Related: Jane Seymour Embraces Her Natural Hair Color in Delightful Snaps

Findings from the Study

Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine recently published a study in April 2023 in which the cause of gray hair has finally been pinpointed. Dr. Geeta Yadav, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology, calls this “a very exciting discovery in hair and skin research.”

She says that the study explains that the reason hair turns gray is that, as we age, the melanocytes (cells responsible for pigment) get “stuck” in the hair follicle and are not able to receive the signal to pigment the hair.

“If those cells are able to move throughout the follicle as hair grows, reversing or preventing gray hair could be possible,” Dr. Yadav explains.

Dr. Kseniya Kobets, MD, Director of Cosmetic Dermatology at Montefiore Advanced Care, believes that this is a very important study in understanding the behavior of stem cells, “but we do not yet know how to control these melanocyte stem cells in real life. These studies were done in mice, whose biology may be similar, but not the same as humans. It would be great to reproduce these results in humans in the future, but that is much more challenging.”

In other words? For even more definitive evidence, a human study could also be done.

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Could a 'Cure' for Gray Hair Actually Happen?

“This discovery could absolutely mean that a cure for graying hair could be possible in the future, so long as researchers find a way to prevent melanocytes from getting stuck in this way and are able to receive those signals that result in hair pigmentation,” Dr. Yadav shares. “The team responsible for this study already has plans to investigate how best to support this in human hair. Only time will tell.”

But a gray hair cure surely won’t be quickly cut and dried. It will take a lot of research, effort and pulling apart tiny details to potentially arrive at a treatment. As Dr. Paradi Mirmirani, MD, FAAD, dermatologist and hair disorders specialist, says, “It may not be an easy task to provide the right signaling to reverse the process of graying, but the first step is always to understand the underlying basic mechanism,” which has already been done.

Dr. Kobets says that in addition to plugged melanocytes causing gray hair, other factors may be likely involved, including hormones and external stressors like sun and damage. “Thus, we may be far from curing gray hair at this time,” she admits. Dr. Mirmirani believes that additionally, smoking can influence hair to turn gray.

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Why Would People Want to 'Cure' Their Gray Hair?

If a cure does come on the market, you better believe that it will be popular. Dr. Yadav says that there will be “a great deal of interest, regardless of cost.”

Hair coloring, whether the strands are gray or not, has been widespread for decades. Katie Emery, founder of the pro-gray hair blog KatieGoesPlatinum.com, says that when easy-to-use home hair dye kits were invented, the popularity of hair dye skyrocketed and it has gotten to the point where we are today, with over 75 percent of the population dyeing their hair at some point.

“Hair dye companies wanted to make money, obviously, so they popularized the idea that gray hair was bad and would make you look ‘old’ and unattractive,” Emery observes. She personally believes that gray hair isn’t a problem that needs to be solved.

“It’s not an illness that needs to be cured,” she says. “Instead, graying hair is natural. It’s normal. And it’s not the end of the world.”

In fact, Emery and other women have found the opposite true: “Allowing ourselves to go gray, despite living in a society that equates gray hair with old age and therefore unattractiveness, is incredibly empowering.”

Since a cure could potentially manipulate one’s stem cells, there might be a concern with changing your body and its hair at the cellular level, and we don’t know the possible outcomes of that yet. As Emery says, “Mother Nature knows what she’s doing.”

Whether you choose to go gray, color your hair or opt for a gray-hair "cure" in the future, at the end of the day, it’s all up to one’s personal preference and there isn’t necessarily a wrong way to go about it. But it is good to know that there is an increasing acceptance, and even embracing, of gray hair.

Next up, see Christie Brinkley get candid about gray hair.

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