Boy with 95 per cent of face covered in hair sets Guinness World Record

Teenager suffers from extremely rare condition called ‘werewolf syndrome’

Lalit Patidar from Madhya Pradesh in India has a rare condition called 'werewolf syndrome' (Lalit Patidar/Instagram)

An 18-year-old in India has made history by securing the Guinness world record for the hairiest face on a man.

Lalit Patidar has nearly 202 hairs per square centimetre on his face due to a rare condition called hypertrichosis, or “werewolf syndrome”.

Despite facing stares from classmates as a child, the teenager from the central Madhya Pradesh state told Guinness World Records that he embraces his uniqueness and now shares glimpses of his daily life on his YouTube channel.

Recently, the teenager travelled to Milan for Lo Show dei Record, where his record was officially confirmed. Over 95 per cent of his face is covered in hair.

“Lalit is one of only around 50 documented cases reported worldwide since the Middle Ages, making him one in a billion,” Guinness World Records said on its website.

“It’s very rare that people are not treating me well. Most people are good to me. It depends on the person. The first day of school wasn’t so good because the other kids were scared of me, but when they got to know me, they realised I’m not so different from them.”

After receiving the title, he said: “I am speechless. I don’t know what to say because I am very happy to get this recognition.”

While some people urge him to remove his facial hair, he confidently responds that he likes himself as he is. “I like how I am, and I don’t want to change my look.”

Patidar has 265,000 followers on Instagram and 108,000 on YouTube.