It is one of the rarest conditions in the world, affecting just one in a billion people.
However, in an
incredible quirk of fate, three sisters have all been blighted by a
condition known as werewolf syndrome – where they are covered from head
to foot in thick hair.
Savita, 23, Monisha,
18, and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli, who live in a small village near
Pune, central India, inherited hypertrichosis universalis from their
father.
All three struggle to
keep the condition under control with cream and hope they one day might
eventually be able to pay for specialist laser treatment to rid them of
their excessive hair.
Despite the devastating
effects of the syndrome, the siblings still dream of a day when they
might get married.Hypertrichosis universalis is a genetic mutation, in
which cells that normally switch off hair growth in unusual areas, like
the eyelids and forehead, are left switched on.
It means the girls have
had abnormal hair growth on their bodies and even their faces,
affecting their eyebrows, nose and giving them appearance of having a
beard.
They must use a special
cream every day – otherwise the hair will quickly return. The youngest
sister Savitri is still virtually covered in hair.
Documentary filmmaker
Sneh Gupta is planning to make a film of the girls in a bid to help
their dream of becoming almost hair free – with the eventual aim of
finding marriage
The girl’s mother Anita Sambhaji Raut has six daughters in total with only three having werewolf syndrome.
The condition was passed down by the girls’ father, who Anita was forced to marry at the age of 12.
Because theirs was an
arranged marriage and she did not lay eyes on him until the wedding
day, she had no idea he was suffering from the condition himself.
Anita and her daughters
are now desperate to fund laser surgery that will help to finally
remove the curse of excess hair and allow the girls to lead normal
lives.
In their small village
near Pune, central India, the Sangli have little prospects for marriage
and the eldest Savita sometimes gets sent home from work when her hair
begins to show.
Laser surgery would
cost 350,000 Indian rupees – or £4,500 per girl – but the family are
not wealthy enough to be able to afford it.
Eldest daughter Savita,
who now using a cream to try and combat her hair growth, said, “When I
used to go to school the boys and the girls would shout, ‘hairy face’,
‘horrible looking’, ‘don’t sit next to her’, that’s how they behaved.
“Marriage is not an option for us, it’s not likely to happen, who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces.”
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