GRAY HAIR AND HAEMATOLOGY: A UNION OF DEFICIENCY

Abstract

Graying of hair is one inevitable condition of life; gray hair can start appearing on one's head or other parts of the body at one time or another, but if one lives till he or she is old, it must appear. Hair gets gray when the production of melanin, the chemical that gives hair its colour, is reduced or stopped for any of the follicles; the new hair that will grow out will no longer have color. Usually, graying comes with old age, but sometimes it starts early in some individuals based on their genes or other conditions. These conditions include vitamin B₁₂, B₉, B₆, and iron deficiencies. These elements are also essential elements required for the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells are critical cellular components of the blood and are studied in hematology. Therefore, the union of gray hair and haematology is deficiency, primarily vitamins B12, B9, B6, and iron. If not treated promptly, these deficiencies will result in anaemia, the most common blood disorder. With these elements, management and treatment of gray hair, especially premature graying, have shown a reversal of graying. Conclusively, there is a relationship between gray hair and haematology.