Dr. Z Quoted in InStyle | How Your Hair Changes As You Age — and What You Can Do About It

Finding a gray hair is often the first physical sign of hair aging people notice. However, contrary to what you might want to believe, it didn’t grow overnight.

“Just like the rest of your body, we’re always moving away form our prime. Our bodies begin to age at the cellular level as soon as your early 20s,” says Dr. Craig L. Ziering, board-certified hair, brow and facial hair transplant surgeon. “For the hair, the process of aging takes place below the hair’s surface at the hair follicle, specifically the hair root or bulb.”

It’s impossible to completely stop your hair from aging, but understanding why you experience changes in texture and color can help slow the process down, and in the case of hair loss, promote growth. Because knowledge is power, we’ve tapped Dr. Ziering and Hill to break down how your hair ages — and what you can do about it.