A teenager has set a new world record for having the hairiest face.
Lalit Patidar from India has an incredibly rare condition called hypertrichosis, commonly referred to as werewolf syndrome.
According to Guinness World Records, there have been only about 50 documented cases of this condition since the Middle Ages, making Lalit one in a billion.
To verify his record, the 18-year-old traveled to Milan, Italy, to consult a trichologist and appeared on the TV show Lo Show dei Record.
It was there that it was confirmed he had 201.72 hairs per square centimeter of skin, officially breaking the world record for having the hairiest face.
Lalit is now a Guinness World Record holder (@lalitpatidar520/Instagram)
Lalit expressed that he was ‘speechless’ upon receiving such an honor, saying, “I don’t know what to say because I’m truly happy to be recognized.”
In a conversation with Guinness World Records, the teenager shared how his peers were initially frightened of him as a child.
“They were scared of me, but once they got to know me and started talking to me, they realized I wasn’t so different from them. It’s just on the outside that I looked different, but inside, I’m the same,” Lalit explained.
While some individuals with hypertrichosis may choose to shave their faces, Lalit has no plans to do so.
When asked about people who suggest he shave off his facial hair, the teenager responded, “I don’t really have much to say to that. I just tell them I like how I look and I don’t want to change it.”
Embracing his distinctive appearance, Lalit has gathered a large following on social media, amassing 265,000 followers on one of his Instagram accounts.
He also runs a YouTube channel, where he has an impressive 108,000 subscribers. On the platform, he shares glimpses of his everyday life.
Over 95 percent of the teenager’s face is covered in hair (@lalitpatidar520/Instagram)
In other world record news, Tomiko Itooka, the former oldest person in the world, passed away in December.
She had earned the title of the oldest living person in August 2024, having reached the remarkable age of 116.
Tomiko attributed her long life to a very specific morning routine. Every morning, she would have a banana and a yogurt-flavored Japanese dairy drink called Calpais.
Her family, on the other hand, credited her active lifestyle for her extraordinary longevity.
“A devout Buddhist, she completed the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (a journey to 33 temples in the Kansai region) in her eighties,” Guinness World Records reports.
“By the time she turned 100, she was still able to climb the stone steps of Ashiya Shrine without needing a walking stick.”
