New study sheds light on what makes hair turn grey

BOSTON - A new study may shed some light on why our hair turns grey as we grow older and stem cells could possibly hold the key.

A research team from NYU Grossman School of Medicine studied melanocyte stem cells in the skin of mice, cells which are also found in humans. They found that these cells typically are able to move between compartments of the developing hair follicle. But as we age, these cells become stuck and lose the ability to mature and produce the protein pigments responsible for hair color.

This fundamental understanding could lead to ways to reverse or prevent graying of human hair by helping these jammed cells move freely again. 

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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