Babies in Europe have been developing hypertrichosis, more commonly known as werewolf syndrome, after their parents used an anti-baldness medication.
The Pharmacovigilance Center of Navarre (CFN) in Spain discovered that 11 babies recently developed werewolf syndrome, linked to a caregiver's use of minoxidil, Spanish newspaper El País reported.
Minoxidil is a medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can be sold without a prescription to adults experiencing age-related hair loss.
Werewolf syndrome, or hypertrichosis, is a condition where excessive hair grows in unwanted places.
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The CFN was informed of a case of werewolf syndrome in April 2023, in which a baby boy had gradually developed hair growth on his back, legs and thighs over the course of two months.
The scientists discovered that his father, who had been off work for a month looking after him, had been using a 5-percent minoxidil lotion on his scalp to treat baldness.
When the baby was no longer exposed to this drug, his excess hair went away and he was fine, the CFN said. However, very young babies exposed to minoxidil may be at risk of damage to their heart and kidneys.
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After analyzing the April 2023 case, the CFN searched through the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System and the European Medicines Agency's EudraVigilance databases and found 10 other recent cases of werewolf syndrome linked to minoxidil in Europe.
In all of these cases, symptoms went away after the parent stopped taking minoxidil, but the CFN's information bulletin maintained that it was still a serious situation.
Serious y'all. I'm about 54 and my gorgeous locks are finally thinning a bit. Does this stuff work?! Never thought about or looked into this.
I can't speak to he effectiveness of the medication (as I am letting my hairline slide down towards my back) but this story is about minoxidil being powerful enough to make adjacent babies hairy... 🤔
It does work (for many people), eventually. I have been taking it for about 2 years and I only really started noticing results after 6 months, with noticeable results at ~9 months.
Granted, I was gradually increasing my dose, and eventually switched to oral Minoxidil (on a prescription) which for me was a massive improvement, so it might be possible that if you got the dose dialed in earlier you might see better results sooner than I did.
They're discussing hair loss products on Radio 4 now, including minoxidil.
Am mid 30s, been on minoxidil for the 3rd months, doesn't seems to have any effect on me. Have to see the result after a year of using it, since that's what the instruction recommend.