Pruthviraj Patil, 11, is one of the 50 people who suffer from a rare genetic disorder commonly known as “werewolf syndrome” – which causes hair to grow on nearly all the skin of the human body except palms of hands and feet. In medical practice, werewolf syndrome, also known as hypertrichosis, is most often considered a variation of normal, primarily resulting from genetic factors.

Patil’s family has tried a series of different treatments, including traditional Indian remedies and laser surgery, but his hair keeps growing. The boy’s story, including the efforts made by researchers at Columbia University, in New York, to find a cure for this rare genetic condition, was featured in a U.S. documentary called “My Shocking Story: Real Wolf Kids” and followed an appeal to doctors to help the Indian boy and find a permanent cure.

Scientists at the Columbia University in New York believe they have found a cure for hypertrichosis: by injecting patients with testosterone, scientists say they can stunt hair growth in patients with werewolf syndrome. The same hormonal treatment is used to prevent boldness.

The boy has started the treatment, but scientists say it is too early to predict the long-term effects. However, they hope the results of the treatment with injections of testosterone will be promising. Pruthviraj’s confesses that his greatest desire is that the hair should go. At the time of Pruthviraj’s birth, some villagers told his mother that she had given birth to a God. Some called him a bad omen due to his unusual appearance. Despite his sufferance, the boy, who lives in the district of Sangli, near Bombay, is a normal boy, very appreciated at school.