Teenager with one-in-a-billion ‘werewolf syndrome’ wins world record for ‘hairiest male face’
AN 18-year-old in India has made history by securing the Guinness world record for the hairiest male face.
Lalit Patidar has hair covering 95 per cent face due to a rare condition called hypertrichosis, or “werewolf syndrome”.
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Triggered by a genetic mutation in most cases, it is believed to affect roughly one in 340 million people.
“Lalit is one of only around 50 documented cases reported worldwide since the Middle Ages, making him one in a billion,” Guinness World Records said on its website.
Despite facing stares from classmates as a child, the teenager from the central Madhya Pradesh state told the record-breaking site he embraces his uniqueness.
The teen even shares glimpses of his daily life on his YouTube channel, which has garnered over 108,000 followers.
Read more on hypertrichosis
Lalit recently travelled to Milan for Lo Show dei Record, where his record was officially confirmed. He has nearly 202 hairs per square centimetre on his face.
“It’s very rare that people are not treating me well,” he explained.
“Most people are good to me. It depends on the person.”
He added: “The first day of school wasn’t so good because the other kids were scared of me, but when they got to know me, they realised I’m not so different from them.”
After receiving the title, he said: “I am speechless. I don’t know what to say because I am very happy to get this recognition.”
Currently, the only way to manage the condition is by regularly trimming the hair.
Despite suggestions to remove it, Lalit confidently embraces his appearance, saying he likes himself just the way he is.
“I like how I am, and I don’t want to change my look,” he says.
Since 2023 almost a dozen cases of the bizarre syndrome have been reported in Europe.
Scientists say the unusual hair growth in newborns is likely linked to minoxidil, a popular over-the-counter hair-loss treatment.
CASES IN EUROPE
In April 2023, a baby boy began growing hair on his back, legs, and thighs over two months, triggering alarm among health experts.
This unusual case was reported by the Pharmacovigilance Centre of Navarra in northern Spain.
It turns out that the baby’s hair growth was linked to his dad using minoxidil, the hair loss treatment, while off work looking after him.
The dad had been applying the lotion to his scalp, and once the baby stopped being exposed to it, the hair growth on his back, legs, and thighs started to fade.
After this case in Spain, the Centre found 10 more similar reports of “werewolf syndrome” in babies across Europe, all linked to minoxidil use.
What is hypertrichosis AKA ‘Werewolf Syndrome’?
Hypertrichosis, known as ‘werewolf Syndrome’, is a rare and curious condition that causes excessive hair growth anywhere on a person’s body.
It can affect both women and men.
The abnormal hair growth may cover the face and body or occur in small patches.
Hypertrichosis can appear at birth or develop over time.
The causes of hypertrichosis aren’t well understood, though there is a form of the disease that tends to run in families.
Congenital hypertrichosis may be caused by reactivation of genes that cause hair growth.
Evolution appears to have shut down the genes that cause excessive hair in humans because it served no value.
By a mistake that still has no known cause, these hair-growth genes appear to “turn on” while a baby is still in the womb, according to Healthline and MedicalNewsToday.
When it occurs in later life, it may be due to malnutrition, eating disorders, medications, cancer or an autoimmune condition.
Hypertrichosis has no cure or known prevention tool.
The risk of certain forms of acquired hypertrichosis may be lowered by avoiding certain medications, such as minoxidil.
Treating hypertrichosis involves the removal of hair through a variety of short-term methods including shaving, chemical epilation, waxing, plucking and hair bleaching.
Long-term solutions include electrolysis and laser surgery.
Source: Healthline