Many people face the problem of unwanted hair on their bodies. But today we are going to talk about a rare and extreme condition of hair growth on a person’s body. This medical issue is named werewolf syndrome. So, without taking much of your time, let’s learn what is werewolf syndrome first and much more about it.
What is werewolf syndrome
Werewolf syndrome which is also termed Hypertrichosis is a rare medical condition related to extreme hair growth on a person’s body. This condition can affect men and women both. The level of hair growth can cover a whole face or body or could be grown in a small area in patches.
Many people are confused between the two terms werewolf syndrome and hirsutism. It should be noted that hirsutism is a much more common condition than werewolf syndrome in which women face the problem of excessive facial hair but not like hypertrichosis.
Type
There are various forms of werewolf syndrome (hypertrichosis). Let’s know about them one by one:
- Hirsutism: yes, hirsutism is one type that affects only women. Hormonal imbalance is the cause of this condition. Its effect can be seen in women in the form of thick and coarse hair on the chin, chest, and back area.
- Congenital hypertrichosis lanuginose: a newborn baby has fine hair on its body which is called lanugo. If it’s normal, it has to disappear in a few weeks. But in conditions like congenital hypertrichosis lanuginose, this fine hair grows continuously on the baby’s body.
- Congenital hypertrichosis terminalis: this type is referred to as abnormal hair growth which starts at birth and continues to grow as long and thick in the later years of a person’s life. And may cover the face and body of that person.
- Acquired hypertrichosis: this is the only type that starts to develop in the later years of a person’s life. And two types of hair grow in excess along with lanugo. One is vellus hair and the other one is terminal hair. The pattern could be in small patches or cover the whole body.
Causes
The causes are different for each type of werewolf syndrome (hypertrichosis). Let’s know why.
Congenital hypertrichosis may arise due to the family genes. In early times, our very early ancestors have genes that cause excessive hair on the body to protect the human body from cold. But now these are not so active. While in some rare cases, genes are still active or evolved in a way that hair starts to grow abnormally. The reactivation of the genes starts in the mother’s womb.
If we talk about acquired hypertrichosis, then many possible causes could be responsible. Some of them are mentioned below
- malnutrition
- Any infection-causing disease which affects the skin afterward
- Cancer
- Drugs, such as androgenic steroids, minoxidil, and cyclosporine
- Poor diet or some kind of eating disorder like anorexia nervosa
Symptoms
In the condition of werewolf syndrome (hypertrichosis), one of the three types of hair (Vellus, lanugo, and terminal hair) grows on a person’s body. Let’s discuss them one by one for better understanding.
Vellus: the hair follicles are short and grow all over the body except that areas where hair follicles are absent like the sole of the feet, lips, ears back, and palms. They can have more or less melanin.
Lanugo: as we discussed above in this article, this type of hair is very thin and soft and contains no melanin or pigment. A newborn baby has this kind of hair which disappear in few weeks after birth if it is the normal case. If not, then the hair remains and starts to grow more.
Terminal hair: hair of this type is long, thick, and pigmented. This hair type is generally seen in the women in case of hirsutism.
A common symptom is also seen in a person with werewolf syndrome which is actually not related to hair. And that is the gums or teeth problem. The gums might get enlarged or the teeth are missing of that person.
Fast ways to remove hair all over the body
Now, we have learned all about werewolf syndrome or hypertrichosis, let’s also find out how a person can remove the hair arising from this condition.
Every human has body hair naturally. Some have thin and fine hair which is not noticeable and some have thick and dark which is more visible to others. To remove that unwanted hair, people take the help of different hair removal methods according to their convenience. Waxing, laser, shaving, IPL, electrolysis, and many more methods are available in the market right now. You can even make use of home-based products like Ulike IPL, it uses IPL technology to remove unwanted hair from the root and that too, without any pain.
But werewolf syndrome is a rare and more sensitive case. The hair growth because of this condition could be removed through shaving or trimming method as waxing, laser, and electrolysis is definitely no solution. Shaving only cut off the hair from the base. After a few days, the hair will grow back. So that will have to be repeated after every few days.
