What do you know about Werewolf syndrome (Hypertrichosis or Hirsutism)?

 Posted by Ade Adeola Solomon

Hypertrichosis is defined as excessive hair growth anywhere on the body in either males or females. It is important to distinguish hypertrichosis from hirsutism, which is a term reserved for females who grow an excessive amount of terminal hairs in androgen-dependent sites.

It can affect both women and men, but it’s extremely rare. The abnormal hair growth may cover the face and body or occur in small patches. Hypertrichosis can appear at birth or develop over time.

Symptomsof hypertrichosis

As mentioned previously, hypertrichosis can occur at birth or develop later in life.

Hypertrichosis usually produces one of three types of hair:

• Vellus: The follicles for these hairs are usually short (less than 1/13th of an inch long, according to the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and MetabolismTrusted Source). They may be located anywhere but the soles of your feet, backs of your ears, lips, and palms, or on scar tissue. Vellus may be pigmented or nonpigmented.
• Lanugo: This type of hair is very soft and fine, like that on the body of a newborn baby. It usually has no pigment. Most babies lose lanugo within a few days or weeks after birth. If hypertrichosis is present, lanugo may remain unless treated and removed.
• Terminal: The hair is long and thick, and usually very dark.

Women with hirsutism develop stiff, dark body hair in places such as their face, chest, and back.

Another common symptom of hypertrichosis is a problem with your gums or teeth. Some teeth may be missing, or your gums may be enlarged.

Causes of this condition

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. The genes that caused extensive hair growth in early man have “shut down” during the course of evolution. By a mistake that still has no known cause, these hair-growth genes “turn on” while a baby is still in the womb.

Acquired hypertrichosis may have several origins. When hair growth is everywhere or in random patches, possible causes include:

• porphyria cutanea tarda, a condition in which your skin is especially sensitive to light
• malnutrition
• diet or an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa
• cancer
• certain drugs, such as androgenic steroids, the hair-growth drug minoxidil, and cyclosporine (Sandimmune)

Hypertrichosis occurring in specific places on your body can develop from:

• lichen simplex, a chronic skin condition that leads to itchiness and repeated scratching of a patch of skin
• temporary use of a plaster cast

• increased vascularity, a bodybuilding strategy to develop prominent blood vessels near the surface of the skin