Aging changes in hair and nails

Your hair and nails help protect your body. They also keep the temperature of your body steady. As you age, your hair and nails begin to change.

HAIR CHANGES AND THEIR EFFECTS

Hair color change . This is one of the clearest signs of aging. Hair color is due to a pigment called melanin , which hair follicles produce. Follicles are structures in the skin that make and grow hair. With aging, the follicles make less melanin, and this causes gray hair. Graying often begins in the 30s.

Melanin

Melanin is a natural substance that gives color (pigment) to: HairSkinThe iris of the eye It is produced by cells in the skin called melanocytes. Mel...

Image

 

Read Article Now Book Mark Article

Scalp hair often starts graying at the temples and extends to the top of the scalp. Hair color becomes lighter, eventually turning white.

Body and facial hair also turn gray, but most often, this happens later than scalp hair. Hair in the armpit, chest, and pubic area may gray less or not at all.

Graying is largely determined by your genes. Gray hair tends to occur earlier in white people and later in Asians. Nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other products will not stop or decrease the rate of graying.

Hair thickness change . Hair is made of many protein strands. A single hair has a normal life between 2 and 7 years. That hair then falls out and is replaced with a new hair. How much hair you have on your body and head is also determined by your genes.

Nearly everyone has some hair loss with aging. The rate of hair growth also slows.

Hair loss

Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.

Image

 

Read Article Now Book Mark Article

Hair strands become smaller and have less pigment. So the thick, coarse hair of a young adult eventually becomes thin, fine, light-colored hair. Many hair follicles stop producing new hairs.

Men may start showing signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old. Many men are nearly bald by age 60. A type of baldness related to the male hormone testosterone is called male-pattern baldness . Hair loss may be at the temples or at the top of the head.

Baldness

Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.

Image

 

Read Article Now Book Mark Article

Male-pattern baldness

Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men.

Image

 

Read Article Now Book Mark Article

Women can develop a similar type of baldness as they age. This is called female-pattern baldness . Hair becomes less dense and the scalp may become visible.

Female-pattern baldness

Female pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in women.

Image

 

Read Article Now Book Mark Article

As you age, your body and face also lose hair. Women's remaining facial hair may get coarser, most often on the chin and around the lips. Men may grow longer and coarser eyebrow, ear, and nose hair.

Contact your health care provider if you have sudden hair loss. This can be a symptom of a health problem.

NAIL CHANGES AND THEIR EFFECTS

Your nails also change with age. They grow more slowly and may become dull and brittle. They may also become yellowed and opaque.

Nails, particularly toenails, may become hard and thick. Ingrown toenails may be more common. The tips of the fingernails may break.

Lengthwise ridges may develop in the fingernails and toenails.

Check with your provider if your nails develop pits, ridges, lines, changes in shape, or other changes. These can be related to iron deficiency, kidney disease, and nutritional deficiencies.

OTHER CHANGES

As you grow older, you will have other changes, including:

• In the skin

  In the skin

  Aging changes in the skin are a group of common conditions and developments that occur as people grow older.

  

  Image

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• In the face

  In the face

  The appearance of the face and neck typically changes with age. Loss of muscle tone and thinning skin gives the face a flabby or drooping appearance...

  

  Image

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article