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SandyStar
September 28th, 2009, 08:53 PM
I was searching around for studies on hair and found this abstract. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17509110?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

Who knew uncombable hair was genetic? lol


Section of Dermatology, Department of Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
We report a family affected to the fourth generation by uncombable hair syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by unruly, dry, blond hair with a tangled appearance. The family pedigree strongly supports the hypothesis of autosomal dominant inheritance; some members of the family had, apart from uncombable hair, minor signs of atopy and ectodermal dysplasia, such as abnormalities of the nails. The diagnosis was confirmed by means of extensive scanning electron microscopy. A trial with oral biotin 5 mg/day was started on two young patients with excellent results as regards the hair appearance, although scanning electron microscopy did not show structural changes in the hair. After a 2-year-period of follow-up, hair normality was maintained without biotin, while nail fragility still required biotin supplementation for control.
PMID: 17509110 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher

DragonLady
September 28th, 2009, 09:07 PM
So...what changed that the hair was maintainable after the biotin was stopped? If the nails still needed it, but the hair didn't, there must have been some other factor?

SandyStar
September 28th, 2009, 09:11 PM
I have no idea. lol

Such funny names some syndromes have!

I hope it isn't physically serious.

Aer
September 28th, 2009, 09:44 PM
Sounds almost like my family, minus the blond hair. I don't think ours is that bad, but everyone of us has given up on trying to tame our manes to perfection, because it isn't going to happen. I also hope that that disorder isn't physically threatening.

meowmeow
September 29th, 2009, 01:06 AM
I remember reading about this somewhere. Apparently, the shape of the hair strand is triangular as opposed to round or oval shaped.

wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncombable_hair_syndrome