Heirs to my hairs: Nepalese mother seeks treatment for rare condition that causes whiskers to sprout across family's faces
By Emma Reynolds
A Nepalese family with a rare condition that causes excessive facial hair growth have travelled from their remote village home in the hope of securing life-changing treatment.
Devi Budhathoki, 37, and her daughters Manjura, 13, Niraj, 12, and Mandira, five, suffer from a congenital problem known as 'werewolf syndrome', which causes hair to sprout between their eyes and across their brows.
The foursome travelled to the country's capital, Kathmandu, in the hope that their hypertrichosis could be cured for good.
Desperate for help: Devi Budhathoki, 37, and her daughters Manjura, 13, Mandira, five and Niraj, 12
Surgeon Shankar Man Rai, from Kathmandu Model Hospital, said the genetic mutation could have transferred from mother to children.
He said he was confident that a course of laser therapy can remove what has felt like a curse because of constant taunts from others.
Ms Budhathoki said: 'More than myself, I'm worried about my children. They are mocked by their classmates.
Follicle trouble: Mrs Budhathoki has taken her children to Kathmandu from their remote village home in the hope they can find assistance
'My children have talked about the new life ever since we received the word that the hospital is going to treat us.
'My son has told his friends that he will be back with a new face and they can no longer tease him.'
Hypertrichosis (also called Ambras Syndrome) means an abnormal amount of hair growth on the body.
There are two distinct types of the condition - generalised, which occurs over the entire body, and localised hypertrichosis, which is restricted to one area.
It can be both congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life.
Although there is no cure for congenital forms of hypertrichosis, it can be reduced through hair removal.
Treatment may have adverse effects, however, causing scarring, dermatitis, or hypersensitivity.
Several circus sideshow performers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Julia Pastrana, had hypertrichosis.
Many worked as 'freaks', including as 'bearded ladies' or as characters with animal traits such as 'Wolfman'.
In 2011, Supatra Sasuphan an 11-year old girl from Thailand with hypertrichosis was named the world's hairiest girl by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Laser therapy: The family attend a consultation at Kathmandu Model Hospital
Treated like freaks: The women have tired of being taunted for their congenital condition, hypertrichosis, which is also known as 'werewolf syndrome'
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