Toddler's 'awesome' hair diagnosed as 'uncombable hair syndrome'
A toddler has been diagnosed with an incredibly rare condition that means her hair cannot be combed flat.
Layla Davis is 18 months old was diagnosed with ‘uncombable hair syndrome’ (UHS) earlier this month after being tested for the condition.
UHS develops in childhood - often between infancy and three but can appear as late as 12 - and is characterised by dry, frizzy hair that cannot be combed flat.
It is unknown how many people have the syndrome but, according to MedlinePlus, around 100 cases have been reported worldwide - though it is likely it is more prevalent than that.
People who develop UHS tend to have light-coloured hair which stands out from the scalp and cannot be tamed.
Layla's mother Charlotte, from Great Blakenham, Suffolk, said she wants her daughter to grow up knowing her hair is "awesome" even though she looks different to others.
She said: "She was fluffy from when she was about one and then after that it started growing more and more outwards.
"I think I was in denial and kept saying it was going to go flat.
"I was really proud to get the diagnosis because it’s so rare. Part of the reason I delayed getting her tested for it is because there’s only 100 people with it in the world – the chances of having it are so slim.
Watch: Girl with uncombable hair syndrome learns to love unruly locks
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"I don’t know if it’s because other people ruffle and touch her hair but she’s started doing it herself.
"I have a little boy who is two and has noticed his hair isn’t the same and sometimes he will stroke his hair and then her hair. I don’t think she realises how awesome it is."
Davis, 28, said that some people have nicknamed her daughter after Boris Johnson and also Einstein.
While there is no cure for UHS, the condition usually improves in manageability or disappears completely around the start of puberty.
UHS is also known informally as spun glass hair.
Layla's family have now created an Instagram account for their daughter - Laylas_locks.
In April, 10-month-old Locklan Samples became an Instagram sensation after his mother Katelyn posted pictures of his untameable hair.
A stranger contacted Samples after seeing the snaps and suggested she seek a diagnosis for UHS. A paediatric dermatologist in Atlanta diagnosed the condition shortly after.
She now posts pictures of her son on a dedicated Instagram account @uncombable_locks.