Hair Pigment Loss Due to Fright
History and folklore abound with startling stories of people whose hair suddenly turns white due to fear or shock. Though it is not possible for the hair already on one's head to change its pigment on its own, there are some plausible explanations for why hair could appear to have turned white overnight. These explanations may give clues as to how these mane myths evolved. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Histoy's White Frights
-
Sir Thomas More's hair is said to have gone white overnight prior to his execution in 1534. After he signed the Edict of Nantes, granting freedom of religion to France, it is rumored that King Henry IV of France's mustache went half-white. Throughout history, despair, fright, and guilty consciences have all been blamed for suddenly white hair.
Marie Antoinette
-
Perhaps the most famous tale of overnight hair whitening is Marie Antoinette. Known for her auburn locks, Marie presented a shocking visage on the day of her execution when she appeared dressed all in white, wearing a white cap on her head over her now gray hair, which she had recently cut short herself. French Historian Charles Lacretelle wrote, "Sorrow had blanched the Queen's once beautiful hair." This poetic description seemed to symbolize the monarch's fall from grace: she had almost literally faded away.
-
Could Hair Fade Suddenly from Root to Tip?
-
It is unlikely that any of these famous heads truly went gray overnight from any kind of emotion. Hair is dead; Once hair has grown, it cannot change color without chemical intervention. One's genetic makeup is the greatest determinant of when one's hair goes gray.
Effects of Stress on Hair
-
Hormones, which can be effected by stressful life events, can cause existing hairs to fall out. It is possible that on a person with some gray or white hairs, loss of older, pigmented hairs in a short time period could give the impression that the person's hair has suddenly gone white. In actuality, the white hairs already on the head may have just become more visible due to the loss of the dark hairs.
Where Did These Stories Come From?
-
There are possible explanations for how these legends of sudden hair whitening have evolved. First, there is the poetic appeal of a physical expression of how stress wears on one's body. In the case of prisoners about to be executed, their prison stays may have prevented them from coloring their hair, causing the new lighter growth to appear. Also, the subjects of these myths could have lost pigmented hairs over time due to stress.
Diffuse Alopecia Areata
-
One possible medical explanation for the appearance of sudden hair whitening is a condition known as diffuse alopecia areata, a disease which causes sudden hair loss. In some patients with this condition, dark hairs are lost before light hairs, which may give the impression that one's hair has gone white.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of THOR
