Some of them they hateregularly using dyes, others deify them as a timeless pattern Charm. For Richard Gere, they are a trademark, and for Andie MacDowell, they are the epitome of elegance and sophistication. age emancipation.

Undoubtedly White hair it’s more than just… hair. And now scientists claim to have discovered the mechanism responsible for the “graying” of our heads.

According to a new study, the source of the change may lie in stem cells, which become trapped as hair ages and lose their ability to mature and retain their color.

Certain stem cells, which can develop into several different cell types, have the unique ability to move from one growth area of ​​the hair follicle to another. Over time, they lose their ability to move, causing the hair to lose its color and turn gray.

The study focused on mouse skin cells, which are also found in humans and are called melanocyte stem cells, or McSCs.
The scientists, led by researchers at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, say that if their findings are true for humans, they could open a “window” into the science of developing a treatment that will interrupt or even reverse the graying process.

“Recently discovered mechanisms raise the possibility that the same melanocyte stem cell locus exists in humans,” said lead author Ki Shan, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Langone Health.

“If so, this represents a potential route to reversing or preventing hair graying in humans by helping entrapped cells move back between the growing compartments of the hair follicle,” he adds.

Source: Guardian