Wooly hair syndrome

Wooly hair syndrome is a rare condition affecting a small percentage of persons of Caucasian and Asian heritage. It is characterized by extremely frizzy and wiry hair that looks almost wooly in appearance. more...

Not much is known about the disorder because of its rarity, but the trait is likely to run in families. "Wooly" hair is a rare congenital abnormality in structure of scalp hair. This hair is either present at birth, or appears during the first months of life. The curls, with an average diameter of 0.5cm, lie closely together and usually make the hair difficult to comb. In addition, the hair may be more fragile than usual. The syndrome usually lessens in adulthood, when wavy hair often takes the place of wooly hair.

Wooly hair syndrome was first observed in a European family in 1907 by Gossage. The difference between wooly Afro textured hair and the extremely frizzy and wiry hair found in non-Blacks with the syndrome is that African hair lies typically separate and is tightly coiled or spiraled, while the curls of the Wooly hair syndrome tend to merge. This type of hair often only covers portions of the skull.

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