Age-Old Belief Explained By Dermatologist: Does Plucking One Grey Hair Multiply?

Do not pluck that one grey hair on your head, it’ll cause more to grow. Surely, you’ve heard this common myth before, but is it true? If you’ve ever been gently struck on your hand for pulling out a grey strand from someone's head, it’s time to debunk this age-old belief once and for all.

Does Plucking One Grey Hair Multiply?

Dr. Aamna Adel, a dermatologist with over 6 lakh followers on Instagram, shared a video discussing “the truth about plucking grey hairs and what you need to know.”

In the video, which now has over 3 lakh views, Dr. Adel explains, “Every single hair on your head has its own hair follicle and that is doing its own thing. It is paying no attention to what's happening to its neighbour. When your hair is turning grey, it's actually because the pigment which has got melanin in your hair follicle basically stops.”

Dr. Adel further clarifies, "So if you pluck that hair, yes the hair that regrows as grey but pulling white hair doesn't trigger other hairs to turn white.”

Dermatologist advice 

Debunking a myth that has persisted for years, Dr. Adel pinned a reassuring comment on her post, “Please don’t pull out all your greys, but if you do pull them out it won’t make more grow back!”

The video resonated with many Instagram users, who shared their personal experiences in the comments. One user wrote, “I will never forget my hairdresser saying “if you keep plucking them out and then come to me to have your hair dyed, they are going to grow back whilst the rest of your hair is dyed - leave them alone.”