ASK DOC: Isn’t it too early for my head to be sprouting grey hair?

I have bleached and coloured my hair blonde before. Could this be the reason my hair is turning grey or is it a sign of nutrient deficiency? What can I do to stop the greying? PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

Dr Flo, I am only 26 years old and there are grey hairs sprouting all over my head. I am worried that in the next 10 years, my whole head will be covered in white hair making me look much older than I am. I have bleached and coloured my hair blonde before. Could this be the reason my hair is turning grey or is it a sign of nutrient deficiency? What can I do to stop the greying? Mariah

 

Dear Mariah,

Hair becomes grey when the cells responsible for hair colour (melanocytes) stop producing pigment. It can also be due to the build-up of naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide, which then bleaches the hair. In a few people, it may be due to vitamin B12 deficiency, pituitiary gland or thyroid problems or due to smoking. In most cases, the greying is due to genetics.

You can have your vitamin B12 levels checked, as well as the thyroid and other hormones, and if these are abnormal, once they are corrected, there is a chance that the greying will stop.

Bleaching hair involves the use of hydrogen peroxide, which can damage your hair, especially if used in large volumes, for a long time, repeatedly, or if not rinsed out properly. The hair will usually recover after you let it grow out the bleached portion.

There is not much you can do to prevent greying of hair, especially if it is due to genetics. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, avoiding smoking and direct exposure of the hair to sunlight may be protective to some extent. For the grey hair that is already there, you can choose to embrace it and let it be, or you can use dye or highlights to hide it.

 

Dr Flo, I get tired easily and I am perpetually tired. My relatives and friends think I am lazy because I can’t handle as many household chores as they can. For instance, I can only wash one room at a time, and not the whole house in one day and I can only wash a few clothes at a time, unlike other women who can wash a whole heap of clothes in addition to other chores in no time. Anytime I try to do too many chores, I feel dizzy and very exhausted. Sometimes I feel too exhausted to do anything at all, and the chores pile up. I asked a pharmacist for advice and he recommended multivitamins and ginseng to fight fatigue, but I took them for a while before I got tired of swallowing pills. I don’t consider myself lazy, I just get tired easily. Does this signal an underlying health problem and what can I do about it? Please help. Moraa

 

Dear Moraa,

Chronic fatigue can be due to quite a number of health issues including infections, anaemia, diabetes, autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis, hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), depression, fibromyalgia, alcoholism or even severe obesity. You should see a doctor, to check these and any other possible causes.

If you are not found to have any of these issues, then you may be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS has no known cause, though it may be associated with some viral infections, a weak immune system or abnormal hormone levels. Those suffering from CFS have severe fatigue that interferes with daily activities for more than six months, and there is no improvement with bed rest. Other symptoms of CFS include poor memory, poor concentration, sleep disorders like insomnia, unrefreshing sleep, severe fatigue after physical or mental exertion (lasting more than 24 hours), muscle and joint pains, frequent headaches, frequent throat infections and swollen lymph nodes.

There is no test to diagnose CFS. The presence of chronic fatigue plus four other symptoms, and the absence of an underlying illness, is what gives the diagnosis.

 Management involves having good sleep etiquette, graded exercise therapy with a physiotherapist or qualified personal trainer and psychological support. Sleep etiquette includes getting into a sleep routine - sleeping at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning; start winding down your activities at the same time each evening; avoid screens (TV, computer, phone) at or around bedtime; avoid taking a nap during the day; avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking, especially near bedtime.

Avoid physical and emotional stress. Do activities that you enjoy and do them at your own pace, taking time to rest during the day.

You may need medication for some specific symptoms e.g. painkillers for muscle and joint aches, medication for throat infections, etc. CFS symptoms may come and go, or you may have them persistently, but unfortunately, the condition has no cure.

 

Dr Flo, I was very impressed by the advice you gave the man who had persistent weekly headaches. I have a similar problem. I have been having headaches since high school, over a decade ago, and even now that I have a career. There seems to be a correlation between my hair and the headaches. I cut my hair every two weeks, and just before I go for my haircut, I get spontaneous headaches which disappear as soon as my hair is cut. I have explained this to everyone I know, but they laugh at me and say I am being ridiculous. I have searched for answers on Google with no luck, but luckily painkillers work like a charm. Have you ever come across such a problem? Is it normal? And if it is, how do I deal with it given that I don’t like to shave kipara? Maina

 

Dear Maina,

It is actually possible to get a headache that is related to hair length, though two weeks of hair growth is not usually “enough” to cause a problem.

There are two theories for this. One is that the weight of the hair could lead to pulling or contraction of the muscles on the scalp and around the head leading to a tension headache.

Cutting the hair then eases the tension and the headaches reduce. This is mostly experienced in those with long hair that is held in a pony tail or in any other tight hairstyles, or if the hair is weighed down by adding hair extensions.

The other theory is that people who suffer from migraine headaches, fibromyalgia or some nerve disorders can develop hypersensitivity of the nerve endings, making them feel pain when the skin is exposed to stimuli that are normally not painful e.g. light touch, brushing hair, exposure to cold or heat, etc.

This condition is called allodynia. It can affect any or every part of your skin. A nerve specialist, a neurologist, can do some tests to check for hypersensitivity of your nerves. Medications such as painkillers, lidocaine or pregabalin, can be used to manage it. For you, because you know the specific trigger, then regular haircuts are your solution.