There are many photographs that can be found on the internet and on social networks of people, especially boys and girls, with wild and uncombed hair. Although at first glance it may seem funny, you have to know that in many cases behind this unruly hair there is a disease, known as uncombable hair syndrome.
Dr. Ramón Grimalt, specialist in dermatology, professor at the International University of Catalonia and author of a recent study on this curious capillary condition, has told us that the idea is beginning to be considered that the German physicist Albert Einstein could have had this syndrome, because we all come to mind his characteristic tousled hair without control.
This problem is actually called Pili trianguli et canaliculi, due to the triangular shape of the hair fiber when viewed through an optical or scanning electron microscope. It is a rare disorder to see, because according to Grimalt each doctor will see at most one or two cases throughout his life.
What is uncombable hair syndrome
But let’s get to the crux of the matter, what is this syndrome and what causes it? The expert explains that “uncombable hair syndrome is a disease caused by a genetic alteration that affects the protein called keratin, which is found at the root of the hair. This causes the hair to be born with a very peculiar shape and clinically manifest with hair that is impossible to comb”.
In addition, he explains that the impossibility of combing the hair is due to its shape; instead of being oval or round, which is how most hair shafts are, it is born with a triangular shape or with a central channel that runs through it from end to end. This characteristic means that when the hair is wet, combed or tried to be molded, it does not respond properly, becoming stiff again, and giving a peculiar image for which it has become viral on social networks.
The hair shaft in patients with uncombable hair syndrome is triangular in shape or has a central canal when viewed under a microscope
As for its origin, uncombable hair syndrome is a genetic disorder observed since 1973, hence it is more common for there to be two brothers from the same family with it. Dr. Grimalt explained to Webconsultas that it usually affects the entire scalp and that it generally lasts a lifetime “although it is true that, after puberty, when the hormones appear, the hair becomes quite greasy and the fat helps to that the hair weighs and is not so stiff with a crazy look”.
In addition to having the characteristic of growing and projecting in different directions, the hair of patients with the syndrome is drier, and it tends to affect people with blonde and brown hair more. In the study conducted by Dr. Grimalt and published in JAMA Dermatology, 107 people with this rare syndrome underwent genetic testing.
The researchers looked at key mutations in the TCHH, TGM3 and PAD13 genes, the latter being the most important. Of the participants, 76 carried disorder-associated variants in that gene. This finding opens a new way to achieve a molecular diagnosis for the syndrome.
Diagnosis and treatments for uncombable hair syndrome
And it is that, until now, the diagnosis of Pili trianguli et canaliculi has been based on the observation of the hair fiber under a microscope by trichologists –dermatologists specializing in hair–. According to Dr. Grimalt, this is the most reliable way to detect this disease, since in the images of the patients the hair shaft will be seen with a triangular shape or with a channel in the middle, while if they do not have this disorder It will look flat, oval, or round, depending on whether the person is black, Caucasian, or Asian, respectively.
“This syndrome is not curable, however, there are treatments to improve it or types of hairstyle to hide it”
Uncombable hair syndrome is a minor disease that is of little importance in the population, however, it is true that it is a disorder that attracts a lot of attention and is funny to see. Dr. Ramón Grimalt reassures us by saying that the pure syndrome is an aesthetic problem, since it has no other association, although he acknowledges that some somewhat rare diseases, such as ectodermal dysplasia, have been associated with this hair disorder.
As for whether there is treatment, the doctor informs us that “this syndrome is not curable; all genetically determined diseases to this day do not have a cure. However, there are treatments to improve it or types of hairstyles to hide it, for example, the use of conditioners, lacquers, hair gels or shampoos with zinc pyrithione, which increase the oiliness of the hair, or military-style cuts, with which prevent it from being visible.
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