What is hypertrichosis?

Hypertrichosis (also called werewolf syndrome) causes excessive hair growth anywhere on a person’s body. It can affect both men and women but is very rare. Abnormal hair growth may cover the face and body or be in small patches. Hypertrichosis can be present at birth or develop over time.

Stay with us to learn about different types of hypertrichosis, factors that may cause it and how it is treated.

Types of hypertrichosis

There are different types of hypertrichosis:

• Congenital lanogenous hypertrichosis: First appears as natural lanogo, the fine hair found on the baby at birth. But instead of disappearing in the following weeks, soft hair continues to grow in different parts of the child’s body.
• Congenital Hypertrichosis Terminalis: Abnormal hair growth starts at birth and continues throughout the person’s life. The hair, which is usually long and thick, covers the person’s face and body.
• Novoid Hypertrichosis: Excessive hair growth appears in a specific area. In a few cases, there is more than one patch of hair.
• Hirsutism: This form of hypertrichosis is limited to women. It causes thick, dark hair to grow in places where women usually don’t have hair, such as the face, chest, and back.
• Acquired hypertrichosis: Unlike congenital hypertrichosis, the acquired form of this disease develops in the later stages of life. Also, there are two types of hair besides lanogo: extra hair or terminal hair. Excess hair may grow in small patches or in all areas where hair is growing on a person’s body.

Symptoms of hypertrichosis

As previously mentioned, hypertrichosis can be present at birth or develop later in life. Hypertrichosis usually produces one of three types of hair:

• Vellus: The follicles of these hairs are usually short (less than 1/13 inch long). They may be located anywhere except the soles of the feet, behind the ears, lips and palms. Vellus may be pigmented or unpigmented.
• Lanogo: This type of hair is very soft and delicate, like the body hair of a newborn baby. It usually has no pigment. Most babies lose lanogo within a few days or weeks after birth. If hypertrichosis is present, the lanugo may remain unless it is treated and removed.
• Terminal: Hair is long and thick and usually very dark.
• Women with hirsutism have hard and dark hair in areas such as the face, chest and back.
• Another common symptom of hypertrichosis is gum or tooth problems. Some teeth may be missing or your gums may be enlarged.

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Causes of hypertrichosis

The causes of hypertrichosis are not well understood. Congenital hypertrichosis may be caused by the reactivation of genes that cause hair growth. The genes that caused extensive hair growth in early humans have been “disabled” during evolution. By a mistake that still has no known cause, these hair growth genes are “turned on” while the baby is still in the womb.

Acquired hypertrichosis may have different origins. When hair growth is all over the place or in random patches, possible causes include:

• Cutaneous porphyria tarda, a condition in which your skin is sensitive to light.
• Malnutrition
• Dieting or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa
• Cancer
• Certain drugs such as androgenic steroids, hair growth drug minoxidil and cyclosporine (Sandimmune)

Hypertrichosis that occurs in certain areas of your body can be caused by:

• Lichen simplex, a chronic skin disease that leads to frequent itching and scratching of a part of the skin.
• Vascular augmentation, a bodybuilding strategy to create prominent blood vessels near the surface of the skin.

prevalence of hypertrichosis

Hypertrichosis, regardless of type, is rare. For example, congenital hypertrichosis lanoginosa is very rare. According to JAMA Dermatology Trusted Source, only about 50 cases of this type of hypertrichosis have been recorded so far. Hirsutism is much more common, affecting about 7 percent of the female population in the United States.

Treatment of hypertrichosis

Hypertrichosis has no cure and there is nothing you can do to prevent the congenital form of the disease. The risk of some types of acquired hypertrichosis is possible by avoiding some medications