Plucking out your first grey hairs: a harmless act or a move with consequences?

The appearance of white hair is a phenomenon that affects everyone at some point in their life. Some people find it harder to accept than others, but it is important to remember that this is a natural process. From a biological point of view, it is explained by the progressive loss of activity and number of melanocytes in the hair bulb, the cells that synthesise melanin. As a reminder, melanin is the pigment that gives hair its natural colour. Without melanin, hair fibres lose their colour and become white.

It is sometimes said that if you pull out a white hair, several will grow back in its place.

This is a common misconception. In fact, each hair is anchored in its own hair follicle, functioning autonomously according to its own life cycle. Plucking a hair fibre does not in any way affect the pigmentation or growth of neighbouring follicles. Nevertheless, although the myth is unfounded, the practice is still not recommended for several reasons:

• A hopeless battle : Plucking out a white hair has no effect on the cause of the whitening. Since the melanocyte in that specific follicle is inactive, the next hair that emerges from the same bulb will invariably be white. This action is therefore only a temporary response to an irreversible process.

• The risk of loss of density : This is undoubtedly the most serious consequence of plucking out a white hair. By violently pulling on the hair, you inflict trauma on the hair follicle. With repeated plucking, this micro-trauma can damage the root or trigger scarring inflammation, ultimately leading to atrophy of the follicle. There is then a risk that the hair will eventually stop growing back altogether, which can result in a localised loss of density, far more difficult to conceal than a single white hair.

• An increase in scalp sensitivity : The abrupt pulling out of hair is perceived by the scalp as an aggressive action. Some claim that this gesture makes the hair greasier by triggering a defensive response from the sebaceous glands. However, to date, this hypothesis has not been scientifically confirmed. On the other hand, pulling out white hairs can cause itching or slight local inflammation of the scalp, indicating that its barrier function has been damaged.

Several options are available to you if, one morning, you notice the first appearance of grey hairs. The first and simplest is to ignore them. After all, if there are only a few, it is very likely that nobody will notice them and, even if they do, remember that this is a natural process. From a dermatological perspective, leaving the hair in place is the best decision for preserving the health of the follicle. This allows the hair growth cycle to proceed normally, without subjecting the root to unnecessary trauma.

If your white hair bothers you, you can also choose to conceal it by changing your haircut, positioning your strands carefully, or even using hair colouring or highlights. These techniques make it possible to mask the contrast without compromising hair density through repeated plucking. If you opt for highlights or colouring, we recommend that you consult a professional hairdresser, as colouring hair is quite technical and not easy to do yourself.

• BERNARD B. A. & al. Human hair greying is linked to a specific depletion of hair follicle melanocytes affecting both the bulb and the outer root sheath. British Journal of Dermatology (2004).

• RAWNSLEY J. & al. Hair biology: Growth and pigmentation. Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America (2018).

• DEVAKAR P. & al. Plucking, picking, and pulling: The hair-raising history of trichotillomania. International Journal of Trichology (2018).