Hair

By age 50, the hair of more than half of all Caucasians is 50% gray. Gray hair occurs less frequently in African Americans than in Caucasians. Men tend to gray earlier and to have more "graying". Hair grays because of a gradual decrease in the production of melanin, the pigment cells in the hair bulbs. The graying of hair is also influenced by heredity and hormones.

As you grow older, there are also fewer hair follicles on the scalp and the growth rate of hair decreases in the scalp, armpits, and pubic areas. Men who bald have either one or two genes for baldness but women go bald only when they have both genes. However, hair growth actually accelerates and thickens in places like nostrils, ear and eyebrows, especially in men. Older women often have an increase in facial hair as their estrogen levels decrease.