The Boy Born With Snow-White Hair – His Life Today

Pheomelanin contributes to reddish and yellowish tones.
The amount and distribution of these pigments help determine whether someone’s hair appears dark, blond, red, gray, or somewhere in between.
Genetics
When very little pigment is present in the hair, it can appear extremely light.
In some people, the hair may look silver or white.
Genetics Play a Major Role
Hair pigmentation is strongly influenced by genetics.
Children inherit genetic information from their parents, and combinations of genes can influence pigmentation throughout the body.
That means unusual hair color can sometimes occur because of inherited characteristics.
A child does not necessarily have to have two parents with white hair to have unusually pale hair.
Drawing & Coloring
Genetic traits can interact in complicated ways.
Albinism and White Hair
One condition associated with very light hair is albinism.
Albinism refers to a group of inherited conditions involving reduced production of melanin.
People with albinism may have very light hair, skin, and eyes, although the appearance can vary considerably.
Some individuals have hair that looks white.
Others may have yellow, blond, reddish, or light-brown hair depending on the type and amount of pigmentation.
Importantly, not every person with white hair has albinism.
A photograph cannot establish whether someone has the condition.
Pigment Conditions Can Look Different
There are also other genetic and pigmentation-related conditions that can produce patches or sections of white hair.
Health
One example is poliosis, a term used to describe a localized area of white or depigmented hair.
It can occur for different reasons and may appear as a white streak or patch.
A child may therefore have strikingly white hair without having complete loss of pigmentation throughout the body.