‘PROUD OF ME’: Indian teen with rare condition sets world record for hairiest face

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A teenager from India has broken the Guinness World Record for having the hairiest face.

Lalit Patidar, 18, won the award last month after 201.7 hairs per square centimetre were measured on his mug.

Patidar has hypertrichosis (also called werewolf syndrome), a rare condition that causes excessive hair growth on the body.

More than 95% of his face is covered in hair, making Patidar one of only about 50 documented cases reported worldwide since the Middle Ages, making him one in a billion, the organization noted.

Patidar flew to Milan, Italy, where he appeared on the television show Lo Show dei Record, where he had the hair on his face measured to determine if he was the new record holder.

“I am speechless,” the teen told Guinness after receiving the award last month, adding that he is “very happy to get this recognition.”

Patidar shared a photo of himself holding his world record-breaking certificate on March 8, with the caption, “Proud of me.”

While Patidar has learned to embrace his uniqueness, it wasn’t always so easy.

He recalled how kids at school feared him when he showed up for his first day.

“They were scared of me but when they started knowing me and talking to me they understood I was not so different from them, and it was just on the outside that I looked different, but I’m not different inside,” he said.

He now shares his day-to-day life with fans on social media, and boasts 266,000 followers on Instagram and has more than 108,000 subscribers on YouTube.

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Patidar is often told by people that he should get all the facial hair removed, but he refuses.

“There is not much to say to people about that,” he said. “I tell them that I like how I am and I don’t want to change my look.”