The Boy Born With Snow-White Hair – His Life Today

Why Hair Has Color
Human hair gets its color primarily from melanin, a group of pigments produced by specialized cells.

Two major types of melanin contribute to natural hair color.

Eumelanin is associated with brown and black shades.

Pheomelanin contributes to reddish and yellowish tones.

The amount and distribution of these pigments help determine whether someone’s hair appears dark, blond, red, gray, or somewhere in between.

When very little pigment is present in the hair, it can appear extremely light.

In some people, the hair may look silver or white.

Genetics Play a Major Role
Hair pigmentation is strongly influenced by genetics.

Children inherit genetic information from their parents, and combinations of genes can influence pigmentation throughout the body.

That means unusual hair color can sometimes occur because of inherited characteristics.

A child does not necessarily have to have two parents with white hair to have unusually pale hair.

Genetic traits can interact in complicated ways.