Published on 12, July, 2020
I have a theory that people with aspergers/high functioning autism are prone to going grey - follicly speaking - sooner than the average person. I have and I know a couple of other people like me who also have gone grey earlier than you'd typically expect.
Perhaps it's stress-related, or dealing with the constant anxiety. It's an admittedly small sample size! Any thoughts?
Self Diagnosed AuDHD. Had copper red hair growing up and blue eyes. Hair darkened by 18 and began graying. Was salt and pepper by 30. Now 49 and pure silver with light gray eyes. Always thought it was cool when younger and made me different but now that I'm older, it's meh. But I do look and identify as younger than my age otherwise.
I still have all my natural hair colour in my fifties despite suffering daily anxiety for most of my life. That's not so unusual but my mum still has her natural colour in her mid eighties and her mum kept her natural colour until well into her nineties.
I'm a brunette and so far I don't have any grey hairs, not that I've noticed anyway lol. I'm only 18 though so I might still be too young. My older sister who is also autistic, diagnosed last year, she is 26 and her greys are starting to show.
It will be interesting if I end up grey. I suspect I will as according to online stress can cause greys to occur and I am constantly stressed due to chronic anxiety from Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
I've been bald since my early thirties, with just the classic 'horseshoe' which has long since turned white; I shave it off from time to time rather then pay a barber ten or twelve quid to do it. My once black beard is also white and has been for decades. So the opening poster's theory certainly stands up in my case.
Bald and Bearded Ben
Yes! My grandpa had white hair at the age of 30, he was undiagnosed but deffo an aspie. And my hair started going grey at 25...
I'm 52 and still have a full head of blonde hair
My autism is inherited from my father's side of the family. My grandfather only had a few grey hairs when he died in his late 80s. My father is in his 70s now and his hair is still completely dark. I'm 36 and thought I saw my first grey last time I cut my hair but now I can't find it.
White hair for sure both my grandfather (aod 98 and my father aod 59) both had white hair my brother 51 white hair and myself 56
It could be true, started going grey at about 27, never bothered to fight it. Diagnosed with ASD at 50, now 53 and about 80% grey. My dad was the same and pretty sure now he had ASD.
Thank you, I hope it won't spread too much. It's unfortunately at the front of my head though so it would be noticeable if I didn't pluck them.
Yes its absolutely to do with stress but with autism it's very hard not to be anxious all the time!
I had my first strands of grey hair appear from about same age as you (17) and my hair is still god willing all brown apart from a small patch that is barely noticeable at back. I'm 30 now. Don't think you probably have to worry too much. It may be anxiety/stress that makes it worse so definitely aim to do you're best to control it. Easier said than done I know.
That's young - are you anxious or stressed daily? May be another cause to think about, and family history of going grey that young?
I started turning grey around 30, my dad did early so expected it really, but this seemed to pause a few years later when I had to give my job up for health reasons and things related to autism (though didn't know that at the time).
Autistic people can appear younger than they are, not sure there is much evidence as to why as haven't really looked - its probably differences in the brain related to ageing, and can happen with non-autistic people anyway.
Yes! I'm 17 and already have loads of white hairs. I have to keep plucking them all the time as they stand out in my very dark hair.
It's interesting because certainly right up to 29 I've always been told I look much younger, like 20 or 21. I also have a small slight patch of grey hair back of my head. The thing is I have made a habit of eating decent amount of veg and fruit, did decent amount of cardio - cycling, walking. I've don't drink or eat fast food or smoke. I do have weird binging eating tendencies - peculiar sort - I bing on bread and PEANUTS. Maybe my genes have stood me in good stead until now at least. I certainly don't often feel as good as I can look sometimes.
My wife says that she married Tom Cruise and now she is stuck with Alan Titchmarsh.
Stephen said:I’m going grey not bald
me too, and it's preferable, George Clooney style according to my ex
I had a grey hair once, I’ve now got many :-) I can’t wait to be silver :-) but I’m going grey not bald
LOL. In my younger day people used to nick name me Morticia because of my hair.