European Researchers Say They Have Found 'The Cure' For Gray Hair In Addition To Vitiligo

A team of European researchers claim to have found a cure for the graying of hair that comes with aging as well as a treatment that may help people with vitiligo.  

The root of hair graying has long been know to be a natural buildup of hydrogen peroxide in hair follicles, causing oxidative stress and graying, according to Live Science.  However, in younger people, an enzyme called catalase tends to break down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.  Thus, lower levels of this enzyme, as well as enzymes called MSR A and B that also repair damage from peroxide, as we age cause hair to turn gray.

European scientists say that this massive accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in hair follicles can be treated with a "topical ultraviolet B-activated compound, PC-KUS," according to the Examiner.  In short, it is a chemical activated by sunlight and it can be used to treat loss of pigmentation in both hair and skin, through vitiligo.  

Vitiligo is a condition which often causes a loss of pigment in patches of skin, according to Live Science.  'To date, it is beyond any doubt that the sudden loss of the inherited skin and localised hair colour can affect those individuals in many fundamental ways,' said Dr. Karin U. Schallreuter, author of the study, from the Institute for Pigmentary Disorders in the Netherlands, according to Daily Mail.

A patented cream, called pseudocatalase, has been developed by Dr. Karin U. Schallreuter, from the Centre for Skin Sciences at the University of Bradford in England, and his colleagues at the Institute for Pigmentary Disorders in association with E.M. Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany, the Examiner reports.  It works together with calcium in order to achieve high success rates in the treatment of vitiligo, they said.  

An improvement of quality of life after total and even partially successful regimentation has been documented, said Schallreuter, whose experience includes working with researchers from E.M. Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany and the Centre for Skin Sciences, School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom  according to Daily Mail.  However, she did not say when the graying and vitiligo treatment would become available for regular consumers to purchase.

During a recent study, approximately 2,500 people who were suffering from vitiligo saw the pigment in their skin and eyelashes return after treatments with the cream were activated via sunlight, the Examiner reports.  The findings of this study,  published in the FASEB Journal, suggest that if the treatment worked on eyelashes, then it might also work on gray hair.

Live Science reports that, "though gray hair isn't always a welcome sign of aging, there's some evidence that suggests it can be an indicator of good health."  However, our society tends to value a youthful appearance which causes many people to turn to hair dyes and other ways of covering up these grey indicators of aging.

"For generations, numerous remedies have been concocted to hide gray hair," Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of FASEB Journal, said in a statement, according to Live Science. "But now, for the first time, an actual treatment that gets to the root of the problem has been developed."  He added that, "this condition, while technically cosmetic, can have serious socio-emotional effect.  Developing an effective treatment ... has the potential to radically improve many people's lives."