A 17-year-old who suffers from ‘werewolf syndrome’ has revealed he has been bullied his entire life because of his rare condition, but has vowed to ‘always be happy and make others happy’.
Lalit Patidar is a student from the small village of Nandleta in Madhya Pradesh, India. His entire body was covered in hair from the age of six when he was diagnosed with hypertrichosis – an extremely rare condition believed to have only been found in around 50 people since the Middle Ages.
His condition means he’s been conspicuous all his life, and that’s why he’s been nicknamed “monkey boy” by cruel school children, who say they’re afraid he’ll bite them.
But despite the bullying, he has spoken about his positive outlook on life and said that he now dreams of becoming a successful Youtuber.
“I come from a normal family, my father is a farmer and I am currently a 12th grade senior. At the same time, I help my father with his farm work,” said Lalit.
Lalit Patidar, 17, is a student from the small village of Nandleta in Madhya Pradesh, India. His entire body was covered in hair from the age of six when he was diagnosed with hypertrichosis – a rare condition
“I’ve had this hair all my life, my parents say the doctor shaved me when I was born, but I didn’t really realize there was anything different about me until I was about six or seven years old. That’s when I noticed for the first time that the hair was growing all over my body like no one else I knew.
“I’ve since found out that it’s because I have a condition called hypertrichosis. It’s rare and as far as I know only fifty people in the world are affected.
“There is no history of hair growth disorders in my family, I’m the only one who has this condition,” said the teenager.
Hypertrichosis is characterized by an abnormal amount of hair growth across the body.
There are two different types of hypertrichosis: generalized hypertrichosis, which occurs over the entire body, and localized hypertrichosis, which is confined to a specific area.
Hypertrichosis can be either congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life.
The terminal condition causes abnormal amounts of fine hair, up to two inches long, to grow on a person’s face, arms, and other parts of the body.
Several circus performers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Julia Pastrana, had hypertrichosis. Many of them worked as “freaks” and were nurtured with animal-like traits.
But Lalit leads a normal life despite his rare diagnosis. He goes to school and helps out on his family’s farm and has started blogging and making videos.
Due to his rare condition, he attracts attention, which is why he has been nicknamed “monkey boy” by cruel school children, who say they are afraid he will bite them. But despite the bullying, he has spoken about his positive outlook on life and said that he now dreams of becoming a successful Youtuber. Pictured: Lalit is seen on a computer (left) and with a friend (right).
Pictured: Lalit is seen as a young boy. He says doctors first shaved him when he was born, but it quickly grew back. He said he didn’t know he was different until the age of six
Lalit is “very popular in class and everyone likes him,” said the principal of his state-run school, Babulal Makwana, back in 2019
“I wasn’t upset when my hair started growing because I was very young at the time, but my family members and parents used to be very concerned about me.
“Little kids used to be afraid to see me and as a kid I didn’t know why. Growing up I realized that my whole body had hair and it wasn’t like everyone else’s.
“Children were afraid I would come back to bite them like an animal.”
There is currently no cure for Lalit’s condition, but he has learned to live with it and although he struggled with bullying as a child, he now recognizes that it makes him unique.
“There is no cure for it now. I cut it when I feel like it’s getting too long. It’s like head hair, it will keep growing, I have no other way of dealing with it and I don’t think there will ever be a cure,” he said.
“My schoolmates used to tease me, they used to yell at me ‘monkey’, people would tell me it’s very scary and people would also tease me by calling me a ghost, they think I’m one Kind of mythical being, but I’m not those things.
“People threw stones at me when I was young, which is unfair to a child who has never known anything else.
Pictured: Lalit as a young boy (left). “I’ve had this hair all my life, my parents say the doctor shaved me when I was born, but I didn’t really realize there was anything different about me until I was about six or seven,” she said he
Pictured: Lalit is seen with his parents aged 13
“A lot of people ask how is this kid doing so how is he doing does he really have hair all over his body is there a cure for this I see parents taking their little kids away from me it saddens me think they do are afraid.’
It wasn’t all bad for Lalit, however, and he has learned to embrace his hair growth and knows it won’t stop him from living a happy life.
“I slowly realized that I have hair all over my body and I’m different from ordinary people in a good way, I’m unique,” he said. “Slowly, everyone in my family started to feel normal, and my friends gave me a lot of encouragement, too.
“I learned many things during my journey, most importantly I learned that I am one in a million, I should never give up and live life to the fullest, I always want to move forward and be happy.
“I’m different, but most of the time our differences are our greatest strengths and I’m proud to be me.
Pictured: Lalit Patidar, who says he’s learned to embrace his hair growth and knows it won’t stop him from living a happy life
“I know few people have my condition, but even if you have something similar, or just something that makes you feel different from your peers, I want to say people will keep saying something about you .
“People gossip and even make things up, but it doesn’t have to be.
“Regardless of what others may say, we should never give up in life, we should always be happy and always be positive in life.
“In closing, I just want to say that you should always respect all people, no matter what a person looks like, they can have any disease.
“Always behave well with everyone, treat them with kindness, you never know what a person is going through.
“It’s important to be happy, but also to make others happy.”
What is hypertrichosis?
Hypertrichosis is the term used for the growth of hair on any part of the body that exceeds the amount normally present in individuals of the same age, race, and sex.
It is a very rare condition that patients are either congenital with or develop later in life.
It rules out excess hair caused by abnormally high levels of male hormones.
Throughout history, sufferers have been a source of great interest, appearing in traveling circuses and freak shows.
A Nepalese mother and her children with hypertrichosis, also known as “werewolf syndrome” (File Photo)
Excessive hair can cause cosmetic embarrassment, leading to significant emotional distress.
Treatment options are limited and treatment outcomes are not always satisfactory.
No single method of hair removal is suitable for all body areas or patients, and the method used depends on the type, area, and amount of hair growth, as well as the patient’s age and personal preferences.
Treatment methods include cosmetic procedures, bleaching, trimming, shaving, plucking, waxing, chemical depilatories, electrosurgical epilation, and hair removal with light sources and lasers.
Laser-assisted hair removal is currently the most efficient method for permanent hair removal.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Dermatology