his gray hair is tunrning reddish orange - doctors have no idea why

[raindrop]

he has hemochromotosis (high iron level). in fact, his iron level at the time of diagnosis was close to 7,000; the highest that any of the doctors have ever heard of. a year later, he is down to 3000 thanks to the weekly phlebotomy he has to undergo. he also has some liver cirrhosis and scar tissue on his heart which the docs believe is due to his high iron. but what they can't explain is, why his gray hair is beginning to grow in as a reddish orange color now. only the top, not the sides or back. What could this be from?? He could care less if his hair is growing purple, he just wants to know what the cause could be.

[7student7]

Supposedly it can happen from washing with iron contaminated well water. Maybe drinking it is why his iron was so high to begin with. As to the pattern (top only) I have no clue.

http://blogs.hairboutique.com/index.php/2009/02/04/hair-turning-orange-from-iron-water/

I should probably find a more reputable source, but I'm lazy, sorry.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

OH MY GOSH, my husband father has grey/white hair, but in one of the seasons and I can't remember which one, his hair will turn a reddish/orange color. I always thought it was a bad dye job and my husband would insist it wasn't. He actually got really mad at me once because I just couldn't believe his dad didn't get a bad color of "just for men". Turns out it was true and no one ever knew why.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

What could this be from??

This is just a friendly reminder that, while support and comments are very much welcomed, the membership cannot exchange any medical advice. The patient needs to continue to see his PCP and/or specialists to unearth the answers that he is seeking.

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

I took care of a lady once in LTC whose white hair was turning the most impressive color of blue just absolutely out of nowhere. As we were frantically trying to figure out if a new medication or condition could cause this, it was noted that she had recently gotten blue sheets and pillowcases, and this coincided with when her hair started turning blue. Maybe it's that simple...who knows?

[angelfaceLPN]

My first profession is as a licensed cosmetologist, usually if someone had rusty water and they were showering in it the hair that is directly hit with the shower water will turn orange-y reddish colored. I don't personally know without looking up the details about the super high iron levels if that would affect only that particular part of the hair. Logically, it would be all of the hair or none of the hair if it was related to the high iron issue. There are treatments out there that can be done at the salon or in the home that strip iron from the hair, so if it was my family member or patient I would check into that as well. Let us know what you come up with!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

My grandmother had light grey hair for as long as i could remember then without explaination it started to grow in jet black. I know she wasn't dying it - you could just tell by the way it was growing.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Protein malnutrition can do it.