Kinky Woolly Hair in Two Siblings. Presented by Dr. Donald Boersma, Grand Rapids.
Two children, brother and sister, aged 3 and 4 years old, respectively, had dark, smooth, apparently normal hair at birth. At approximately 9 months of age, the hair gradually changed into soft, bushy, woolly blonde hair, which grew at a normal rate. General physical examination has proved normal in all other respects. The mother and father have normal hair. There is no history of miscegenation.Biopsy: skin of scalp: "atrophy or congenital absence of sebaceous glands."
Discussion
Dr. Hermann Pinkus, Monroe: The boy's hair was trimmed so short it was difficult to be sure about its character. The girl's hair seemed to resemble sheep's wool rather than Negroid hair. The so-called kink of Negroid hair is due to the hair follicle being curved in the skin. The hair hardens in this preformed mold, and emerges as a