It is a common misunderstanding that hair that is or has already turned grey is no longer as healthy as it used to be. This is not the case at all, and grey hair can be transplanted as successfully as hair of any other colour. Hair transplantation works by taking a healthy hair follicle from the back and sides of the head, where the follicle is not affected by the DHT that causes hair loss, and then moving it into the areas of hair loss. Grey hair can be successfully transplanted from these areas to the new sites just as well as any other healthy hair follicle because it is still a healthy hair follicle.
Specialized cells called melanocytes found in the hair follicle are responsible for the pigments called melanin that give hair its colour. Melanin is hereditary and is determined by our parent’s genes. Melanocytes will eventually stop producing or at least reduce the amount of melanin that it used to make at some point in a person’s life. Once the production of melanin starts to slow, hair begins to lose its colour, resulting in a decrease in the pigmentation that creates grey hair or a total loss of pigmentation, resulting in white hairs.
Grey hairs are basically a sign of the normal process associated with ageing and a symbol of our biological clock ticking. Nobody knows with 100% certainty why these melanocytes eventually stop producing melanin. Hair usually starts to go grey around the age of 40, but some people may start to see it happening as early as their twenties. About 25% of people will have some grey hair by the age of 35, and almost half of the world’s population will have some grey hair by the age of 50. People with darker hair will start to show the effects of grey hair sooner than people who have fairer hair because the contrast will show up faster, resulting in a “salt and pepper” look.
As a person ages, the oil-producing cells of the hair follicle will also stop producing as much lubricating oil, causing hair with less pigment to become dryer. Dry hair is susceptible to more damage from combing and brushing and can also be harder to style.
However, age alone does not disqualify a patient from being a hair transplant patient. The considerations are the same for any hair transplant. What is the cause of the hair loss? What is the medical and physical condition? (Blood work as well as vitals are very important to help assess any patient, but they are even more important for older patients.) What is the medical history? What is the hair loss pattern? And finally, what are you expecting to achieve with this hair transplant?
Hair that is in the process of going grey will most likely continue that process after a hair transplant. Some studies have shown that PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, has had some positive results in restoring the melanin to grey hair and returning pigment to it.
As early as a month after the hair transplant surgery, a patient can safely use hair dye to colour grey hair if they wish to.
