Premature Hair Greying: A Preliminary Study of Influencing Factors

People with premature hair graying try to hide it because it makes them look older than their age. Hair graying is an esthetic problem that affects social life. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the influencing factors in premature hair graying.

One hundred twenty participants who were referred to a dermatology clinic were randomly selected and filled up an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, BMI, education level, and income. Also, queries on family history, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption were asked. The main question was the age of graying hair initiation which divided the participants into two groups; individuals with premature hair graying (PHG) under 30 and non-PHG individuals above 30 years old. Factors were compared and a logistic regression was used to identify the association.

The mean age of participants was 42.2±1.2 and 49% of them were female. Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, educational level, marital status, and family history were significantly different between the two subgroups. But the marital status, family history, and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with premature hair graying.

Premature hair graying depends on family history and non-married people and alcohol users are more prone to it. More investigations are needed to identify the indicators.