What Is Hypertrichosis?
4. Faulty Genes
It is thought that congenital hypertrichosis is caused by the gene that is responsible for hair growth being activated. Ancestors that we evolved from would have been considerably hairier than we are now and the gene responsible still remains in us, although it has become dormant as we gradually evolved into Homo sapiens.
The mechanism behind it is not known, but it is thought that these otherwise dormant genes are “switched on” again while the baby is still developing in the womb. Thankfully, this causes few other symptoms other than excessive hair growth, and the patient can lead an otherwise normal life.
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