Woolly hair is a rare condition where abnormality in the scalp structure causes tightly curled, brittle hair to grow. There are three types, including woolly hair nevus, hereditary woolly hair, and familial woolly hair. It is congenital and occurs only in people of Caucasian ancestry. There is no medical treatment, but harsh hair treatments should be avoided. It is associated with other physical abnormalities and is a dominant or recessive trait. The genes responsible for woolly hair nevus are unknown.
In medical terminology, woolly hair refers to several rare conditions in which an abnormality in the structure of the scalp causes brittle, tightly curled hair to grow. The three most common forms are woolly hair nevus, which is a condition in which frizzy hair grows in one or more clearly defined areas of the scalp in addition to non-curly hair; hereditary woolly hair, where the hair is present mainly in infancy and childhood; and familial woolly hair, which is present from birth and is often associated with skin and heart abnormalities. These conditions are congenital, meaning they are present from birth and occur only in people of Caucasian ancestry. In most people, curls are more noticeable in childhood than in adulthood. There is no medical treatment, although the patches of curly hair in the woolly nevus can be surgically removed.
Symptoms include very tight curls of hair that are no more than 0.2 inch (0.5 cm) in diameter and tend to stick together, making the hair difficult to brush or comb. The hair is also often short, because it is so brittle that the hair shafts break before they get very long. It is recommended that you avoid any harsh hair treatments, such as bleaching, coloring, or straightening, when you have this condition.
This is a cutaneous condition, which means it involves the surface of the body, including the hair, skin and nails. It is sometimes associated with other skin conditions and other physical abnormalities. For example, people with woolly nevus sometimes experience skin lesions and abnormal bone and tooth development. Naxos syndrome, a familial form of woolly fur, is associated with a form of heart disease that affects the right chamber of the heart muscle. People with this syndrome also often have skin abnormalities called keratoses on the scalp, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.
Scientists do not fully understand the genetics of all types of this condition and have not found a specific gene responsible. Inherited forms of this condition run in families and it is a dominant trait, meaning that a child will have frizzy hair even if the genetic trait is passed on from only one parent. It appears to be a recessive trait, meaning it only occurs if it is inherited from both parents. The genetic abnormalities that cause Naxos syndrome have been identified, but the genes responsible for woolly hair nevus are still unknown.
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