Segmented Heterochromia in Black Scalp Hair Associated With Iron-Deficiency Anemia
April 1989
in “
Archives of Dermatology
”
TLDR Iron deficiency can cause hair color changes, which can be reversed with iron supplements.
A study from 1989 described a newly recognized disorder in which a 15-year-old girl exhibited segmented heterochromia in her black scalp hair, characterized by alternating dark and light bands, associated with iron-deficiency anemia. Clinical and laboratory investigations suggested that low serum iron levels played a critical role in reducing eumelanogenesis and possibly affecting melanin transfer. The condition was completely resolved after iron supplementation, which was associated with increased eumelanogenesis in the recovered hair. This case indicated that iron was involved in the kinetics of melanogenesis within follicular melanocytes.
