Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton have something in common -- aside fro being former presidents of the United States. Each of these men exited the oval office with more Gray Hair than when their terms began. It has long been rumored that the Stress of being president caused these men's hair to prematurely turn gray. Is this a medical fact or an urban legend?
Dermatologist Howard Brooks, from the Cosmetic Dermatology Center at Georgetown agrees with the theory of stress and gray hair. He says it happens because of a condition called Telogen Effluvium.
This simply means when you are under stress your hair sheds faster than it should. What job could be more stressful than leading the free world? Everyone, however, does not agree with this assessment.
New study debunks the connection between gray hair and stress
A new study seems to debunk the connection between stress and graying tresses. According to Nina Goad, from the British Association of dermatologists, genes and hereditary factors factor into hair turning silver. Rodney Sinclair, professor of dermatology at the University of Melbourne, insists there is absolutely no research to link gray hair with lifestyle, stress or diet in humans. There are some studies that have concluded that stress causes mice to turn prematurely gray, This is believed to be a reason why the same is said about human hair.
Seeing is believing
Most Americans have a seeing is believing attitude. We see for ourselves that most aging adults have salt and pepper, or totally silver locks. This has been said to happen because of a lack of protein in the hair as we age. When we see, time and time again, U.S presidents leaving the White House looking much older and grayer than when they went in, we have to wonder.
There have been stories of young people who were frightened or traumatized so greatly, that their hair turned gray immediately. There are some families where turning gray at early ages seems to be in the DNA. And of course, over a four or eight year term in the White House, normal aging is expected.
