Just when going gray started getting chic (hello, Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, and George Clooney!), the root cause of gray hair and a treatment for stopping it in its tracks was found by a group of researchers from Germany’s E.M. Arndt University of Greifswald and the UK’s University of Bradford. It all boils down to an enzyme called catalase that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. When we age we have lower levels of this enzyme, which can cause hair to turn gray.
Products that color hair make up a billion dollar industry, according to the Wall Street Journal, though not all those purchases are to cover the gray. But for those who are trying to hide the tell tale sign of aging, this research suggests an actual treatment. The scientists report in the journal Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology that if a topical cream containing "pseudo-catalase" is applied and activated by sunlight, pigment can return to the hair…and to the skin.
For the study, researchers actually started off analyzing skin biopsies of a group of people suffering from vitiligo, a condition that causes depigmentation of skin, and discovered that these patients had low levels catalase. After treating the vitiligo with the pseudo-catalase, that’s when the scientists noticed that pigment also returned to their eyelashes.
So, that’s the good news. The bad news? There’s no word on when this treatment will be available to the masses. Additional testing is required, and then the “cure” needs to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
In the meantime—if you’re not ready to embrace the salt-and-pepper look or you just need a break from dye jobs—try to stress less.
A Japanese study published in the journal Cell found that the kind of stress that does damage to DNA, such as chemicals, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation, could also deplete the melanocyte stem cells within hair follicles that are responsible for pumping out pigment. One of the study’s authors Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University estimates that our cells may encounter 100,000 DNA damaging events daily. Think: traffic, deadlines, and bills!
Anything that can limit the stress—exercise, a spa day, music—might help stop the graying from happening, the researchers say.
More from Prevention: Make Gray Hair Look Beautiful