How age, stress and genetics turn hair gray
Short Wave from NPR
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Why does hair turn gray? Is it stress? Age? Genetics?
As a kid, host Aaron Scott would dress up for Halloween as an older version of himself — complete with a cane, a set of polyester britches and painted gray hair. These days, that costume is becoming a bit more of a day-to-day reality. At least, the gray hair is.
So today, in honor of all you out there flirting with gray hair, whether for a witch costume or just that exciting and terrifying thing called aging, we're digging into why hair turns gray. And we turn to dermatologist Dr. Jenna Lester for answers.
Have an idea for an episode, or questions for the team? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
This episode was fact-checked by Rasha Aridi, and edited by Gisele Grayson and Viet Le. Dennis Nielson was the audio engineer.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Support Local News
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.