The idea of finding a hair in your mouth is enough to make most people feel nauseous, but for one woman in Italy, it became a permanent reality.
The woman, who is unnamed, started growing ‘eyelash-like’ hairs in her mouth, due to a rare disorder.
According to her case study, published in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, the woman first discovered small hairs in her gums back in 2009, when she was 19 years old.
Doctors diagnosed her with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and treated her with oral surgery, as well as birth control pills.
While the hairs initially stopped growing, six years later she returned to the clinic, again with hairs in her gums.
She revealed that she had stopped taking the birth control pills, and as a result had started growing hairs not only in her gums, but also on her chin and neck.
Hair growth related to PCOS is fairly common, according to the NHS.
It explained: “Common symptoms of PCOS include excessive hair growth – usually on the face, chest back or buttocks.”
However, it’s extremely unusual to see hair growth inside the mouth, according to the researchers.
In their study, the researchers, led by Dr Felice Femiano, wrote: “The occurrence of hairs in the oral cavity is an extremely rare finding.
“A literature review found only 5 cases, most of which described a single hair localized in various sites of the oral cavity.”
The reason for hairs growing in the mouth remains unclear, and the researchers now hope to conduct follow up reviews to help understand the process further.
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