25 Incredible Images Of A Family Living With "Werewolf Syndrome"
A mother and her three children from Nepal suffer from a very rare disease that causes excessive hair growth. They are undergoing laser hair removal to help with their condition.
1. Devi Budhathoki, a 38-year-old woman from Nepal, along with three of her children, suffer from a very rare disease called Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa which causes excessive body hair growth. It is sometimes referred to as werewolf syndrome.
Devi Budhathoki, 38, poses for a photograph on Sept. 14, before undergoing laser hair removal treatment in Karay, Dolkha District, 118 miles northeast of Kathmandu, Nepal.
2. Mandira Budhathoki, 7.
3. Niraj Budhathoki, 12.
4. Manjura Budhathoki, 14.
5. Since the Middle Ages, just 50 people have been described as having the disease. According to recent estimates, approximately 34 cases have been adequately documented.
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8. The family traveled from their remote village in the mountains in north Nepal to undergo laser hair removal near the capital of Kathmandu.
Devi has her blood pressure checked at the health clinic in Kharay.
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Nara Bahadur Budhathoki, 65, (L) speaks to his son Niraj and daughter Mandira as they look out of the window of their house in Kharay.
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12. Devi and her two oldest children, Manjura and Niraj, underwent the non-invasive procedures to remove some of the unwanted hair.
Niraj, 12, winces while undergoing laser hair removal treatment at Dhulikhel Hospital in Kavre, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Oct. 22.
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Devi is shaved by a nurse before undergoing laser hair removal treatment.
14. Before the treatment, Devi said, "More than myself, I'm worried about my children. They are mocked by their classmates."
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Niraj (back, 3rd R) sits with his friends at the school playground in Kharay on Sept. 15.
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Niraj (L) and his younger sister Mandira doing their homework.
17. "My son has told his friends that he will be back with a new face and they can no longer tease him," Devi said.
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20. "My children have talked about the new life ever since we received the word that the hospital is going to treat us," she continued.
Devi looks at her daughter Manjura's face after it was shaved during laser hair removal treatment.
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22. Devi, before and after the laser hair removal.
23. Manjura, before and after the laser treatment.
24. Niraj, before and after the procedure.
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Devi and her children are all smiles after undergoing the hair removal treatment.
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Tasneem Nashrulla is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Tasneem Nashrulla at tasneem.nashrulla@buzzfeed.com.
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