Going grey ages women six years, while men just look three years older after going grey

Going grey ages women twice as fast as men, a survey has suggested.

Women look six years older when they have a significant covering of grey hair, while men only look three years older, it found.

Participants were shown pictures of 10 women and 10 men with grey hair and digitally altered versions where they didn’t have silver locks. 

Women were assessed to look six years older on average with grey hair, while men were thought to look just three years older. 

Women look six years older when they have a significant covering of grey hair, while men only look three years older, according to a poll of 1,000 people

The survey, conducted by Crown Clinic in Manchester, also found eight out of ten women immediately pluck their first grey hairs and within a year of the onset of greying.

But only 31 per cent of men remove their grey hairs, according to the poll of 1,000 people.

Meanwhile three-quarters of women dye their hair to disguise their grey hairs, while less than a fifth of men do the same.  

It also found that 72 per cent of women dread the onset of greying and 62 per cent said grey hairs aged them more quickly than any other factor.

But far fewer men fear going grey. Just 36 per cent dreaded its onset and 71 per cent said losing their hair would be a more significant factor in the ageing process than going grey.

There is no genetic reason why men should start going grey earlier than women.

It is thought they record the onset of greying earlier than women simply because far more women colour their hair regularly and therefore women maybe slower to spot their first grey hairs than men because of the dye.

Dr Asim Shahmalak, who is head of the clinic, said: ‘Men are far more relaxed about going grey and this is because male pattern baldness is a much more significant factor in ageing men.

‘The fact is, men would far rather be grey than bald.’