Research- Cure for Grey Hair

LONDON: A cure for grey hair that will allow millions to throw away their hair dyes could soon be available, researchers say.

They found people who are going grey develop "massive oxidative stress" via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle, which causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out.

The journal for biological research, FASEB Journal, reported that the research team, which included experts from Bradford University's School of Life Sciences, had discovered the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide could be remedied with a proprietary treatment.

The researchers, who made their discovery after studying an international group of 2411 patients, described the treatment as "a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS [a modified pseudocatalase]", the journal said.

Adverse

The treatment can also be used for people with the skin condition vitiligo, which causes a loss of pigmentation.

Study author Karin Schallreuter, a specialist in vitiligo, said: "The sudden loss of the inherited skin and localised hair colour can affect those individuals in many fundamental ways. The improvement of quality of life after total and even partial successful re-pigmentation has been documented."

FASEB Journal editor-in-chief Gerald Weissman said: "For generations, numerous remedies have been concocted to hide grey hair but now, for the first time, an actual treatment that gets to the root of the problem has been developed.

"While this is exciting news, what's even more exciting is that this also works for vitiligo.

"This condition, while technically cosmetic, can have serious socio-emotional effects of people.

"Developing an effective treatment for this condition has the potential to radically improve many people's lives."