Rodney

I'm a chronic worrier, always have been. That said, I'm nearly fifty and I've got maybe 15-20 grey hairs, low down on the temples. My hair is dark brown; if there were any more grey hairs, I'd see them clearly.

My facial hair began to go gray in my mid-thirties, on the other hand. If I grew a beard, it'd be seriously salt-and-pepper.

I personally believe grey hair is genetic. My mom -- a nervous person like myself -- also has dark brown hair, and began to grey seriously only in her late '50s. Even in her '80s, her hair is iron grey, not white.

I remember reading that Caucasians go gray earlier on the average than some other ethnicities. Dad was a chesnut-haired Celt, but Mom's people are a lot darker of skin and hair.

All that said -- if you don't like gray hair, dye it. If you're afraid of your hair thinning or receding further, go with Propecia (or get the doc to prescribe the blood pressure medication that Propecia contains and which is its active ingredient, at 1/4 the price). Better living through chemistry. And why not? Grey hair or receding hair doesn't really say anything about how vigorous or healthy you are; it's just the luck of the draw. If it bothers you, and you can change that luck, do it.

Sometimes people ask me if I dye my hair, and I always say, "Not yet." Because I will dye it if I start to go seriously gray and I don't like how it looks. As for Propecia, I'm going to skip it, because I know about what my balding/receding/thinning pattern is going to be, and I'm okay with it.