Tag Archives: grey hair

Raise money for men’s health charity – banish the grey!

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home_logo.gifLondon: Banish grey for a day and raise money for the UK men’s health campaigners, The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The old adage ‘you’re only as old as you feel’ might be a nice thought, but unfortunately our looks often let us down. With life sometimes becoming grey, dull and mundane, an injection of colour is just what’s needed to stop the tedium setting in. Offering just such a solution is Grey-Away Day.
 
Whereas women are very vocal about ‘refreshing’ their looks, men tend to shy away from physical self-improvement (or at least they are more bashful about it!). But all that is set to change thanks to Grey-Away Day, an initiative just for men, that will encourage men across the country to banish their grey and lead a more colourful life.
 
The campaign will give men a better reason than ever to colour their hair. In the run up to Grey-Away Day (September 24th) men will be encouraged to seek sponsorship from their friends, family and work colleagues to return their hair to its natural colour, and in the process 20p from all boxes of Just For Men sold during September will be donated to The Prostate Cancer Charity, the UK’s leading charity working with people affected by the disease.
 
With over 25 million men in the UK and 28% sporting significant grey hair, it is about time men took on the challenge to look as young as they feel. With 2 million boxes of Just For Men hair colourant sold in the UK, there is already a large following, and this campaign hopes to encourage men to reach for the bottle to embrace a fresher look and reveal the person they feel they are.
 
To find out more about the campaign just for men, or to sponsor a friend or loved one, please visit <a href=”www.greyawayday.co.ukhttp://www.greyawayday.co.uk”>www.greyawayday.co.uk</a> or join us on Twitter <a href=”www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDayhttp://www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDay”>www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDay</a> and Facebook <a href=”www.facebook.com/grey-awaydayhttp://www.facebook.com/grey-awayday”>www.facebook.com/grey-awayday</a>
 
 
<b>About The Prostate Cancer Charity</b>
The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.
 
36,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year and one man dies of prostate cancer every hour in the UK.
 
The Charity provides the UK’s only nurse led prostate cancer helpline, helping men and their families to access support and information through its confidential helpline, 0800 074 8383. 
 

Grey hair is No 1 looks worry for men

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greyhair1.jpgLondon: Hair colour is the number one appearance concern for men today, according to a new UK study.

Research from Mintel reveals as many as one in two British men are worried about graying hair, with the largest concern coming from those aged over 45.

Vivienne Rudd, head of beauty research at Mintel, said the research said many men are “unhappy with their new found gravitas and the research has discovered men have become less content with their appearance after the age of 45.

“Whilst men are expected to work into an older age, they will find themselves competing with younger colleagues’, and she believes older people may feel the need to maintain their appearance.

The research which examined the performance of male grooming products shows there has been a slight increase in sales since 2008, and haircare shows the most significant growth with an estimated sales value of £68m in the UK in 2010.

The growing concern over appearance may lead to a future boost to the male grooming market according to Rudd, and L’Oreal has also reported a positive start for its Excell 5 Brush-in Men’s Hair Colourant in 2010 thus far.

However, whilst there is increased concern over appearance amongst middle-aged men, there is still a lack of interest in grooming products. Whilst young men are valuable to the market, middle aged men adopt a ‘quick-fix’ approach.

Another recent study shows that – men in general are more likely to purchase a product projecting a ‘no-nonsense’ image, with multi use and combination products also likely to be more popular.

Whilst the men’s concern over hair colour seems apparent in the UK, the rest of Europe does not share this worry. France, Germany and the UK continue to dominate the market in terms of hair products (according to Mintel GNPD), however of all the new hair colourants introduced exclusively for men last year, all were launched in the UK.

Mintel studies show that whilst men are not necessarily uninterested in the results of male grooming products, they are hesitant to purchase and use them. Three quarters of all men in the UK are unengaged with toiletries and grooming products, whilst over half of those are aged 45-54.

Other results from the study revealed hair loss and thinning are the second largest concerns for men, followed by unwanted hair. Being overweight, and oral hygiene make up the biggest concerns, although Mintel was keen to highlight skin care as a growing concern. Its study found that seven in ten men worry about some aspect of their skin whilst a third of men regularly use face creams and lotions.

Research from Mintel reveals as many as one in two British men are worried about greying hair, with the largest concern coming from those aged over 45.

Vivienne Rudd, head of beauty research at Mintel, said the research said many men are “unhappy with their new found gravitas and the research has discovered men have become less content with their appearance after the age of 45.

“Whilst men are expected to work into an older age, they will find themselves competing with younger colleagues’, and she believes older people may feel the need to maintain their appearance.

The research which examined the performance of male grooming products shows there has been a slight increase in sales since 2008, and haircare shows the most significant growth with an estimated sales value of £68m in the UK in 2010.

The growing concern over appearance may lead to a future boost to the male grooming market according to Rudd, and L’Oreal has also reported a positive start for its Excell 5 Brush-in Men’s Hair Colourant this year.

However, whilst there is increased concern over appearance amongst middle-aged men, there is still a lack of interest in grooming products. Whilst young men are valuable to the market, middle aged men adopt a ‘quick-fix’ approach.

Another recent study shows that – men in general are more likely to purchase a product projecting a ‘no-nonsense’ image, with multi use and combination products also likely to be more popular.

Whilst the men’s concern over hair colour seems apparent in the UK, the rest of Europe does not share this worry. France, Germany and the UK continue to dominate the market in terms of hair products (according to Mintel GNPD), however of all the new hair colourants introduced exclusively for men last year, all were launched in the UK.

Mintel studies show that whilst men are not necessarily uninterested in the results of male grooming products, they are hesitant to purchase and use them. Three quarters of all men in the UK are unengaged with toiletries and grooming products, whilst over half of those are aged 45-54.

Other results from the study revealed hair loss and thinning are the second largest concerns for men, followed by unwanted hair. Being overweight, and oral hygiene make up the biggest concerns, although Mintel was keen to highlight skin care as a growing concern. Its study found that seven in ten men worry about some aspect of their skin whilst a third of men regularly use face creams and lotions.

Grey hair reveals DNA stress, say scientists

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Tokyo: Stress can make your hair turn grey, according to a new study published in the medical journal Cell.

In a new study from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, researchers confirm that the daily wear and tear on our DNA from damage caused by chemicals, ultraviolet light, and ionizing radiation, may be responsible.

according to study lead author Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

Lead reseracher Emi Nishimura said that cells can undergo up to 100,000 events a day that damage DNA.The stem cells within hair follicles responsible for colour are most affected by this constant attack.

Stem cells are cells in the body that can reproduce indefinitely and that have the potential to “mature” into other, more specialized cells. The stem cells in hair follicles mature into melanocytes, or cells that produce the pigment melanin.

In younger people, the hair’s stem cells maintain a balance between those that reproduce and those that turn into pigment cells, so that pigment is constantly being added to growing hair.

But as a person ages, too many of the stem cells mature until the pool of pigment cells gets totally drained and hair grows gray.

Scientists have been unsure what exactly spurs the stem cells to change. According to Nishimura, the answer may be accumulated DNA damage.

Forcing the cells to mature may be the body’s “more sophisticated way” of purging the damaged stem cells without killing them off, she said.

The study focused on greying because it is a typical sign of ageing in mammals, the authors wrote.

The researchers put laboratory mice through whole-body x-rays and chemical injections.

When the team examined the mice’s hair follicles, they found that the stem cells showed permanent damage. These mice then regrew hair with no pigment.

The research supports the idea that instability in genes may be a major factor in aging, the authors say. It also lends credence to the theory that damage to stem cells may be the main driver of aging.

The DNA damage observed in the study is mainly “unavoidable,” the authors write.

However, the study helps scientists understand graying, Cheng said by email, which may lead to new chemicals that can prevent the hair’s stem cells from switching roles.

“We may soon have anti-greying creams for aging populations,” he said.