Experts answer.
Unfortunately, sooner or later we all go gray at some point. And quite honestly: some are happy with it, others less so. And that’s completely okay. But when you get gray hair, there are also a lot of facts and myths involved. The same goes for pulling out your gray hair. Because: will the gray hair grow back faster?
The consequences
Let’s get straight to the point: no, gray hair does not grow back faster if you pluck it out. Yet it is not entirely without consequences, as Dr. Hamdan Absdullah Hamed, co-founder of an online platform dedicated to natural hair care products, explains. “Every time you pull it out, you also remove the follicle. I therefore recommend leaving the gray hair as it is.”
Why do we get gray hair?
But first let’s start at the beginning. Because, why do we get gray hair in the first place? This is because the pigment cells die as we age. This causes melanin production to decrease, resulting in gray hair.
But what if you discover a gray hair? Then of course you want to pull it out immediately. But is this really wise? Hair surgeon Patrick Davis explains: “The hair follicle is actually the home of the strand, filled with the characteristics of the hair you pull from your head. So it will also grow back with those same characteristics.”
More gray hair growth
Also Dr. Michele Green agrees. “As soon as the melanocytes of a follicle die, pigment loss occurs and new gray-colored hairs grow from that follicle. Although plucking gray hairs can lead to hair loss over time, it will not cause more gray hairs to grow. This is because only one hair strand can grow from a given hair follicle.”
You also have to take into account damaged hair follicles if you pull out your gray hair too roughly. This can even cause your hair growth to stop permanently. So no, you won’t see extra gray hair growing back in that same spot, but – in the worst cases – simply no hair at all.
Source: Huffpost | Image: Adobe Stock
