Three Sisters Hope Film About Their Condition Will Give Them Chance At A Better Life
Three sisters in India — 23-year-old Savita, 18-year old Monisha, 18, and 16-year-old Savitri — are struggling with hypertrichosis universalis (also known, colloquially and unfortunately, as “werewolfism”), a condition that results in excessive hair growth all over the body, including the face. A documentary filmmaker is planning to film the sisters, and they hope the attention will help them raise enough money for a laser surgery procedure that will help them get ride of their excess hair.
The girls’ mother, Anita, says her daughters inherited the disorder from their late father:
Anita was only 12 when she wed her husband in an arranged marriage, and she did not see him until the day they tied the knot.
“It was only on the day of my marriage that I discovered what he was; [he] was hairy on his face, ears and body. That’s when I found out,” she said.
“I was very young. I didn’t know what kind of boy he was.
“He scared the hell out of me when he arrived at the [ceremony].”
The girls, who have been stigmatized for their appearance, are worried about what their hypertrichosis universalis will mean for their chances of ever getting marries. “Marriage is not an option for us,” said Savita. “Who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces?” Savita treats her hair with creams and tries to hold down a job, but her employers ask her to leave once her hair begins growing back.
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