The birth of a baby is a long-awaited event in the life of many people. A little one brings so much joy, responsibility and worry to parents, who try to notice every little change in their little ones.
This is the story of Locklan Samples who, at birth, had straight, jet black hair, which was replaced by fluffy, pure white locks within 6 months. Initially a source of concern for parents turned him into a minor celebrity.
Meet Locklan, a boy with an unusual haircut. Unfortunately, this is not on purpose, but the result of a rare genetic disease.
Seventeen-month-old Locklan was born in Roswell, Georgia: a normal, healthy, happy little boy cradling a full head of black hair like his mother Katelyn’s. However, when she was 6 months old, her black hair was replaced with what Katelyn and her husband, Caleb, affectionately call “peach fuzz”.
The puzzling change in Lock’s hair was surprising but not immediately concerning for parents.
By the time he turned 9 months, Lock’s hair was white-blonde, super soft and standing straight from the scalp, unable to be combed flat.
The moment parents got concerned was when someone commented on Lock’s hair on Instagram, suggesting the hair was the result of an extremely rare condition called ‘uncombable hair syndrome’ (UHS).
Locklan is 1 in 100 people who have been documented to have experienced it. Katelyn called the pediatrician, but since she had only seen one case in 19 years of practice, she referred Katelyn to a specialist at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. There, Locklan’s diagnosis was confirmed as UHS.
UHS is a rare disorder of the hair shaft of the scalp, typically characterized by silver-blonde or straw-colored hair that is messy, falls away from the scalp, and cannot be combed flat.
It may appear for the first time between 3 months and 12 years of age. The syndrome was found to be caused by mutations in genes involved in hair shaft formation.
As the condition only affects Lock’s hair, the parents were assured there was nothing much to worry about.
Katelyn recommends new parents embrace their children’s uniqueness, saying, “It’s the most beautiful hair. Also talk to your doctor or find a dermatologist who has helpful information for you. »
Katelyn describes the hair as soft, but very fragile, which is why she brushes it rarely and carefully, trying to be as gentle as possible with it.
It’s hard not to love the fluffy-haired little boy. For some a rock star, for me personally a little Albert Einstein. We hope Locklan will have a childhood full of joy and sunshine.
