It does not get more unusual that this three sisters are afflicted by one of the most unusual medical conditions in the world, affecting just one in a billion. The Sangli sisters are suffering from a very unusual genetic disorder referred to as werewolf syndrome – where they are covered from head to toe in very thick hair. Named Savita, 23, Monisha, 18, and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli, they reside in a village near Pune, they were passed down the hypertrichosis universalis disorder from their genetic father.
The Medical term Hypertrichosis universalis is a genetic mutation, in which cells that normally switch off hair growth in uncommon areas, such as the eyelids and forehead, are left turned on. The girls have excessive hair growth on their faces, which affects their eyebrows, nose and giving them a beard. To combat the problem the sisters partake in hair removal cream to keep their condition under control on a short term basis. It is possible to have laser surgery for Rs 3,50,000, but the family is not wealthy enough to afford the expensive treatment.
The girl’s mother Anita Sambhaji Raut has 6 daughters in total with three of them living with werewolf syndrome. Hypertrichosis (also called Ambras Syndrome) is an abnormal amount of hair growth on the body; extensive cases of hypertrichosis have informally been called werewolf syndrome. There are two distinct types of hypertrichosis: generalized hypertrichosis, which occurs over the entire body, and localized hypertrichosis, which is restricted to a certain area.
Hypertrichosis can be either congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life. The excess growth of hair occurs in areas of the skin with the exception of androgen-dependent hair of the pubic area, face, and axillary regions. Several circus sideshow performers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Julia Pastrana, had hypertrichosis. Many of them worked as freaks and were promoted as having distinct human and animal traits. Petrus Gonzales in 1648, the first recorded case of hypertrichosis. The first recorded case of hypertrichosis was Petrus Gonzales of the Canary Islands.
This was documented by Altrovandus in 1648. He noted in Gonzales’ family that two daughters, a son, and a grandchild all had hypertrichosis. Altrovandus dubbed them the Ambras family, after the Ambras castle near Innsbruck, where portraits of the family were found. During the next 300 years approximately 50 cases were observed. The scientist Rudolf Virchow described a form of hypertrichosis accompanied by gingival hyperplasia in 1873. There are two methods of classification for hypertrichosis. One divides them into either generalized versus localized hypertrichosis, while the other divides them into congenital versus acquired.