Canities subita: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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The earliest surviving recorded claim of sudden whitening of the hair is represented in the [[Talmud]], by a story of a [[Jewish]] scholar who, at the age of 17 years, developed white hair locks due to overwork.{{ |
The earliest surviving recorded claim of sudden whitening of the hair is represented in the [[Talmud]], by a story of a [[Jewish]] scholar who, at the age of 17 years, developed white hair locks due to overwork.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Vidhi V.|last2=Aldahan|first2=Adam S.|last3=Mlacker|first3=Stephanie|last4=Alsaidan|first4=Mohammad|last5=Nouri|first5=Keyvan|date=2016|title=Canities subita: sudden blanching of the hair in history and literature|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.13203|journal=International Journal of Dermatology|language=en|volume=55|issue=3|pages=362–364|doi=10.1111/ijd.13203}}</ref> |
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Now and again, contemporary cases of accelerated (though not sudden) hair-whitening have been documented, as with bombing victims in the [[Second World War]],{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} and in a case covered in the [[medical journal]] ''Archives of Dermatology'' in 2009.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Navarini |first1=A. A. |last2=Nobbe |first2=S. |last3=Trüeb |first3=R. M. |date=June 2009 |title=Marie-Antoinette Syndrome |url= https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/29792/2/MarieAntoanette_V.pdf|journal=Archives of Dermatology |volume=145 |issue=6 |page=656 |doi=10.1001/archdermatol.2009.51|pmid=19528420 }}</ref> |
Now and again, contemporary cases of accelerated (though not sudden) hair-whitening have been documented, as with bombing victims in the [[Second World War]],{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} and in a case covered in the [[medical journal]] ''Archives of Dermatology'' in 2009.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Navarini |first1=A. A. |last2=Nobbe |first2=S. |last3=Trüeb |first3=R. M. |date=June 2009 |title=Marie-Antoinette Syndrome |url= https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/29792/2/MarieAntoanette_V.pdf|journal=Archives of Dermatology |volume=145 |issue=6 |page=656 |doi=10.1001/archdermatol.2009.51|pmid=19528420 }}</ref> |
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Revision as of 11:53, 8 September 2021
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Canities subita also sometimes called Marie Antoinette syndrome is an alleged condition of hair turning white overnight due to stress or trauma.[1] The name comes from folklore about the hair of Queen Marie Antoinette of France turning stark white after her capture following the ill-fated flight to Varennes during the French Revolution. A number of cases of rapid hair greying have been documented but underlying changes and careful studies have been found wanting.[2]
It has been found that some hairs can become colored again when stress is reduced.[3][4]
Causes
The syndrome has been hypothesized to be a variant of alopecia areata diffusa or autoimmune non-scarring hair loss that selectively affects all pigmented hairs, leaving only the white hair behind. Marie Antoinette syndrome is caused by high levels of emotional stress, which, in turn, causes less pigmentation of the hair.[5][full citation needed] These form the basis of most uses of the idea in fictional works.
One study[6] (which requires scientific replication and verification) experimented with the phenomenon in mice found that stress caused white hair even if the immune system was suppressed (ruling out auto-immune response) and if the glands producing cortisol were removed. The study concluded that over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system was causing stem cells to stop producing pigment cells in hair follicles.[7]
History
The earliest surviving recorded claim of sudden whitening of the hair is represented in the Talmud, by a story of a Jewish scholar who, at the age of 17 years, developed white hair locks due to overwork.[8]
Now and again, contemporary cases of accelerated (though not sudden) hair-whitening have been documented, as with bombing victims in the Second World War,[citation needed] and in a case covered in the medical journal Archives of Dermatology in 2009.[9]
References
- ^ Trüeb, Ralph M. (2013). Female Alopecia: Guide to Successful Management. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 132. ISBN 9783642355035.
- ^ Kelly, EmilyWilliams; Nahm, Michael; Navarini, AlexanderA (2013). "Canities subita : A reappraisal of evidence based on 196 case reports published in the medical literature". International Journal of Trichology. 5 (2): 63. doi:10.4103/0974-7753.122959. ISSN 0974-7753. PMC 3877474. PMID 24403766.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Alice Klein (June 6, 2020). "Grey hairs sometimes regain their colour when we feel less stressed". New Scientist.
- ^ Ayelet Rosenberg; et al. (May 19, 2020). "Human Hair Graying is Naturally Reversible and Linked to Stress". bioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2020.05.18.101964. S2CID 218764733.
- ^ Landois. 1866: Bubbles in the Hair Shaft
- ^ Zhang, B., Ma, S., Rachmin, I. et al. Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives depletion of melanocyte stem cells. Nature (2020). [1]
- ^ How Stress Turns Hair White: Harvard Study Points To 'Fight-Or-Flight' Response
- ^ Shah, Vidhi V.; Aldahan, Adam S.; Mlacker, Stephanie; Alsaidan, Mohammad; Nouri, Keyvan (2016). "Canities subita: sudden blanching of the hair in history and literature". International Journal of Dermatology. 55 (3): 362–364. doi:10.1111/ijd.13203.
- ^ Navarini, A. A.; Nobbe, S.; Trüeb, R. M. (June 2009). "Marie-Antoinette Syndrome" (PDF). Archives of Dermatology. 145 (6): 656. doi:10.1001/archdermatol.2009.51. PMID 19528420.