Dear Dr. Roach: I am 73 years old. Approximately two years ago, I noticed that my body hair (which was about 70 per cent grey) was turning back to my younger hair colour of dark brown. Currently, almost all of my body hair is dark brown.
I have also noticed that my head hair is getting darker (but at a slower pace than my body hair). I have been concerned that I might have a health issue that is causing this. Can you help? D.F.
If you and I could figure out how to reliably reverse greying of hair (a phenomenon called repigmentation), we could become wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. Sadly, nobody has yet succeeding in doing so. I have found some reports of dietary changes (mostly to a more plant-based diet) seeming to cause this reversal. Various supplements claiming to do this are offered for sale online; however, there is no reliable evidence that they work.
There are case reports of some medications causing repigmentation. None of the medications are ones that I would recommend or consider safe for this use. The best studied probably is acitretin, a vitamin A derivative.
I also found case reports of hair colour returning in a localized area after shingles and in one case of melanoma, but these are unlikely to be the cause in you. I would look at any medications you might be taking, and see if any have been associated with repigmentation.
Dear Dr. Roach: I normally go to the dermatologist once a year to get a skin check and follow up on some moles I had removed. Now the office recommends that I go every three months. What gives? F.M.
I’m guessing your dermatologist is keeping a close eye on something he or she doesn’t like but isn’t worried enough to do a biopsy. I don’t want to second-guess your dermatologist. When you next go back, ask and find out. If you really dislike going so often — perhaps because of copayments, inconvenience or having to take time away from work or family — tell him or her so that you both can work toward a plan that is easiest for you but still allows the dermatologist to keep you free from skin cancer or other problems.
Dear Dr. Roach: I have a question about high HDL. On my last lab test results, my numbers were: total cholesterol 231, HDL 161, LDL 59, triglycerides 53. Is this 161 too high? If so, what do I do about it? My primary-care doctor did not comment. M.D.
In general, the higher the HDL, the lower the risk of heart disease. 161 is one of the highest I have ever heard of. I would expect your heart-disease risk to be lower than average. It is debated whether it’s the HDL itself that causes the lower risk, since medications that just raise HDL have not reduced heart-disease risk.
I did read a few years ago of a subgroup of people with high HDL who had an increased risk of heart disease. This group also had a high C-reactive protein level, indicating ongoing inflammation. If you have a family history of heart disease despite a high HDL level, I would talk to your doctor about testing your C-reactive protein.
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