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What is Hirsutism or Frazonism and Hypertricosis Universalis (Werewolf syndrome)? It is a condition where women have excess facial and body hair that is dark and coarse. The abnormal hair growth usually happens on the body where men typically grow hair, on the chest, face, and back.
About half of women with hirsutism have high levels of male sex hormones, called androgens. High levels of these hormones can be caused by:
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) -- may also cause infertility
- Tumors on the adrenal glands or ovaries
- Cushing syndrome
- Medications that can cause hair growth (dverse effect) -- phenytoin, minoxidil, diazoxide, cyclosporine, and hexachlorobenzene
- Anabolic steroids
- Danazol -- used to treat endometriosis
- Insulin resistance
- Stromal Hyperthecosis - in postmenopausal women
- Obesity: As there is peripheral conversion of androgens to estrogen in these patients, this is the same mechanism as polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS.
A girl from China who was treated for aplastic anemia in 2010 with a large dose of drugs has turned hairy in various parts of her body, including her face.
The following factors may increase your risk of hirsutism:
- Genetics -- some conditions that cause hirsutism may be inherited.
- Race and ethnicity -- women of European, Middle Eastern, and South Asian ancestry are more likely to develop the condition
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Meet the incredible Sangli sisters, three siblings whose lives have been blighted by one of the rarest conditions in the world. The sisters are keen to marry - but want to achieve their dream of becoming hair-free, first
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Liu Jiangli, Chinese Schoolgirl Aged 6, Is Covered In Black Fur. A Chinese schoolgirl who is partially covered in black fur has been adopted after she was abandoned by her birth family.
Liu Jiangli, now six, was born with a thick coating of black fur on the left side of her face, as well as patches of it across 60per cent of her body.
Liu, from Zhongjie village, Qingzhen, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, also has black hair inside her left ear. At the age of two her mother left the family home and shortly afterwards, her father took her to a kindergarten but never came back.
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The kindergarten made newspaper announcements asking for the toddler’s relatives to claim her, and six months later the grandfather of one of her cousins came forward.
Liu Mingying has looked after Liu ever since, but worries he won’t be able to afford to pay for her education, and is concerned she will always be taunted about her appearance.
"It's very itchy," Liu told Rex Features, as she scratched the patches of hair, adding: “But it’s not painful.”
Mingying, a maize farmer admitted he felt uncomfortable about the little girl's condition, but now accepts her completely and even jokes about her huge appetite.
The 48-year-old wants to send Liu to school but is put off by his neighbours’ comments and that she might “scare the other kids in the school.”
There is currently no official explanation for Liu’s condition, although it does appear reminiscent of a syndrome known as Hypertricosis Universalis, which leaves sufferers covered entirely in body hair.
