Research Study Finds Cancer Treatment Helps With Anti-Aging

Researchers believe cancer therapy drugs could slow or prevent the graying of hair.

In a 2017 study, researchers said that 14 lung cancer patients who were treated with immunotherapy drugs experienced repigmentation. They did not know why, but said that it could mean treatment is working. Scientists have investigated the cause of gray hair, and they believe they know what it is. 

Hair color comes from melanin, and the more melanin, the darker the hair. As people age, the cells in their hair follicles produce less melanin. Melanin is produced by melanocytes in hair follicles. As melanocytes get damaged as people age, they cannot produce melanin, leading to gray hair. 

Biologists have been looking into how immunotherapy might be able to treat gray hair and she says that reactivating the cells is the way to get color back. She and her team have not tested the treatment on humans, but the results from cells and animal models are promising. More research is needed on humans before a treatment can become available.

“We have tools now that I think are getting us closer to it. There’s case after case in the literature that shows it’s possible. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it was all totally answered, but I think it’s getting closer,” Dr. Harris told BBC Science Focus.

Some people can also have gray hair as early as their teens, and genes are often the cause of gray hair, meaning that if someone has a parent who had gray hair at a young age, they could also have gray hair at a young age. 

Another cause of gray hair is stress, but hair gets color before growing, meaning that it will happen after it starts to grow. The bad news is, depending on the cause, gray hair may not be reversable. If gray hair is caused by a vitamin deficiency or other conditions, treating the condition can stop gray hair. If gray hair is caused by stress, reducing stress levels should stop gray hair.

However, if it is caused by aging, it is not reversable. The good news is, should a treatment be available, gray hair may be reversable soon.

Some people also like gray hair, thinking it makes them look “distinguished”, so it is not bad news for everyone. For people who do not like gray hair, they can always use a dye, and that will always be an option should a treatment not be available.