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Asked by: Gerry Fiek
medical health skin and dermatologyWhat does a GREY streak in your hair mean?
Consequently, what is a GREY streak in hair called?
Poliosis is when a person is born with or develops apatch of white or gray hair while otherwise maintainingtheir natural hair color. It can affect both children andadults. People with poliosis have a decreased level or completelack of melanin in the roots of affected hairs, also calledhair follicles.
Considering this, is gray hair caused by stress?
The color comes from a pigment called melanin. In thatstudy, the researchers found that hormones produced in response tostress can deplete the melanocyte stem cells that determinehair color. They found that stress causes the stemcells to leave our hair follicles, leaving hair grayor white.
Poliosis itself is not harmful. It can,however, appear alongside other conditions that pose a health risk.For that reason, poliosis can be an early warning sign ofmore serious health issues. Melanoma is a skin cancer arising fromthe cells that provide color to the skin.