History Main / DiseaseBleach

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''{{Recess}}'', one episode established that Butch's SkunkStripe came from him being traumatised after seeing [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHorrific two teenagers making out.]]
[[/folder]]

* In ''{{Recess}}'', one episode established that the Hustler Kid's SkunkStripe came from him being traumatised after seeing [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHorrific two teenagers making out.]]

One of the most effective ways to turn a character's hair completely white would be the stress of [[SoapOperaDisease prolonged illness]]. There may be some {{Truth in Television}} to this, but typically it's taken to extremes. In some cases, this trope is used to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] the white hair of a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy if he happens to also be an [[IllGirl ill guy]].

Note that this trope also applies to people whose hair has turned white due to prolonged stresses similar to diseases, such as being a prisoner of war. If a part of a character's hair suddenly turns white due to stress, it's {{Locked into Strangeness}}. Also has no relation to BrainBleach.

* Jushiro Ukitake of ''{{Bleach}}'' had his hair turn white after a sick spell. Considering that in flashbacks to him as a teenager it still shows him with white hair, it must have been one heck of a sick spell.
** He has Tuberculosis, which, in addition to be chronic and very difficult to cure, is said to turn people's hair white. JustifiedTrope, here.
*** [[IncrediblyLamePun So,]] DiseaseBleach {{Bleach}}?
* In ''DeathNote'', Soichiro Yagami's hair starts greying at an alarmingly fast rate from the moment he begins to work on the Kira case. Especially notorious in the first arc, where about a third of his hair turns grey in a couple of episodes, way too fast for it to be caused by simple aging. Until about episode 10, his hair is pitch black.
** Though he didn't start greying until after he had a stress-induced (rather than a Kira-induced) heart attack.
* Toki from ''{{Fist of the North Star}}'' used to be black-haired before being irradiated, after which his hair turned white.

* In AlexandreDumas' ''{{The Count of Monte Cristo}}'', Danglars ends up a broken man with completely white hair following a prolonged period of psychological torture by the Count.

* In ''{{A Song of Ice and Fire}}'', Lancel Lannister's near-mortal wound and long recovery are said to have changed his fine blonde hair to a brittle white mess.

* In the Broadway version of ''{{Sweeney Todd}}'', [[spoiler:Toby]]'s hair turns completely white after [[spoiler:he is locked in the evil basement by Mrs. Lovett and suffers a horrific BreakTheCutie ordeal which consisted of learning what she and Sweeney got up to and then being stalked by Mrs. Lovett who intended to hand him over to Sweeney to be killed]].

* According to the official ''{{BlazBlue}} [[AllThereInTheManual Setting Material Collection]]'', the attack that got Ragna's sister kidnapped, burned down the orphanage his family lived in, and [[spoiler:cost Ragna one of his arms]] is also responsible for turning his [[spoiler:blond]] hair permanently white.

* In ''{{The Order of the Stick}}'', Ian Starshine's red hair turn white after three years of malnutrition in the Empire of Blood's jails.

* Percy and Annabeth both get a streak of white hair in "The Titan's Curse" after [[spoiler: they're forced to hold up the sky in Atlas's place]]

* This happens to Johnathan Harker in ''[=~Bram Stoker's Dracula~=]'' as his hair turns grey when he returns to London and then white as he aids in fighting the count.

* ''Mushishi''[='s=] Ginko got white hair from a magical disease which also took one eye [[spoiler: and his mentor's life, just as will happen to him once his other eye vanishes.]]

* Toki from ''{{Fist of the North Star}}'' used to be black-haired before being irradiated, after which his hair turned white. Likewise, when he had to prolong Rei's life for his final moments, the treatment caused Rei's hair to become white.

* Toki from ''{{Fist of the North Star}}'' used to be black-haired before being irradiated, after which his hair turned white.

* Half of Dr. BlackJack's hair started coming in white after a land mine pretty much blasted his head apart when he was a child.

->"They used to call me 'Red', but three years of malnutrition will do a number on your hair color."

* In the first season of ''{{Slayers}}'', Lina's hair turns white after she [[spoiler:uses the Giga Slave to annihilate Shabranigdo.]] It's back to normal by the beginning of the next episode.
* Similarly, [[{{Hayate no Gotoku}} Isumi]]'s hair is turned white when she uses too much of her power during the Athens arc.
** Interestingly, when she lost her powers in an earlier arc, no comment is made on her hair changing color in any way.
* [[FateStayNight Archer's]] hair turned white (and his skin tanned) thanks to overuse of projection magic.

* Jem in the Infernal Devices series. [[spoiler: Turns out it's because of a demonic halluginogenic drug originally used to torture him as a child.]] Same goes for his eyes.

* In ''{{Warcraft}} 3'' Arthas' hair goes white after his experiences in [[GrimUpNorth Northrend]], though it's not entirely clear if it was [[LockedIntoStrangeness the result of the magical influence]] of [[EvilWeapon Frostmourne]] or simply stress, obsession and trauma combined with frigid weather.

* [[FateStayNight Archer's]] hair turned white (and his skin tanned) thanks to overuse of projection magic.

* Allen Walker from ''DGrayMan'' had his hair turn from being brunette to being white after Mana cursed him.

* ''Fourteen''. Since Chicken George is... well... you know, a chicken-man hybrid, he doesn't have any hair. However the horrible secret he discovered about the human race turns his [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fourteen/v02/c037/15.html cockscomb (the red crest on his head) white]].

[[folder:Comics]]
* An {{Archie}} comic has Mr. Lodge's hair turn white when he saw Archie doing something stupid. What's funny is that he had ''dyed his hair'' earlier that day.

* In Jim Butcher's ''TheDresdenFiles'', after Justine was nearly killed by her vampire boyfriend, her hair turned white. It's stayed that way even though she's been steadily recovering for 5 books now.

* This is actually ''inverted'' in ''LastScenario'', when a blond character's hair turns black after prolonged exposure to a harmful magical substance.
* [[spoiler:Itsuki the boy locked in the storehouse]] in ''{{Fatal Frame}}'' II had his hair turn white overnight after [[spoiler:killing his twin brother during the ritual]]. This seems to occur with some [[spoiler: Remainings]] while others keep their normal hair color.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl Princess Yue of ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]'' is a subversion: she was a sickly child but perfectly dark-haired, only being bleached when the Moon Spirit healed her.
[[/folder]]

One of the most effective ways to turn a character's hair completely white would be the stress of [[SoapOperaDisease prolonged illness]]. There may be some TruthInTelevision to this, but typically it's taken to extremes. In some cases, this trope is used to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] the white hair of a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy if he happens to also be an [[IllGirl ill guy]].

Note that this trope also applies to people whose hair has turned white due to prolonged stresses similar to diseases, such as being a prisoner of war. If a part of a character's hair suddenly turns white due to stress, it's LockedIntoStrangeness. Also has no relation to BrainBleach.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

** This troper remembers that his hair didn't start greying until after he had a stress-induced (rather than a Kira-induced) heart attack.
* Fourteen - Since Chicken George is...well...you know, a chicken-man hybrid, he doesn't have any hair. However the horrible secret he discovered about the human race turns his cockscomb (the red crest on his head) white [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fourteen/v02/c037/15.html]].

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* In AlexandreDumas' ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'', Danglars ends up a broken man with completely white hair following a prolonged period of psychological torture by the Count.

* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', Lancel Lannister's near-mortal wound and long recovery are said to have changed his fine blonde hair to a brittle white mess.

* Something like this happens to ErastFandorin in the first book of his series [[spoiler: following the death of his new bride in a bombing]], as he ends up with grayed temples.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:{{Theater}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* In PhoenixWrightAceAttorney, [[spoiler:Godot's]] hair turned white after he fell into a coma after being poisoned. Then again, this may be the most realistic side effect of his coma.
** No, that would be [[spoiler: the blindness. Now, the visor, that's just silly.]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl Princess Yue of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is a subversion: she was a sickly child but perfectly dark-haired, only being bleached when the Moon Spirit healed her.

[[AC:RealLife]]

* Said to happen to U.S. Presidents (and by extension, probably other world leaders as well). Apparently, presidents age roughly two years for every year they're in office - with associated white hair. BillClinton, for instance, went into the Presidency with a head of mostly dark hair and came out of it eight years later with it mostly white.

<<|HairTropes|>>

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]
* In the mini-series adaptation of ''{{IT}}'', town psycho Henry Bowers's hair turns white after he [[GoMadFromTheRevelation gets a glimpse of Pennywise's true form]].

* While not from illness, Senator John [=McCain's=] hair turned white after being a POW.