Question: What is the disease called where you grow finger nails on your head instead of hair?

Asked by ashoe13 to Heather, James, Mark, Matthew, Simon on 28 Aug 2012.

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  1. Photo: Mark HamannMark Hamann
    answered on 28 Aug 2012:

    I don’t know, I have not heard of it. I used google but it did not help – only a few stories that you can’t verify

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  2. Photo: James SmithJames Smith
    answered on 28 Aug 2012:

    Can’t say I’ve heard of it either. May be one for the Disease Zone scientists (if that’s allowed)??

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  3. Photo: Matthew DavisMatthew Davis
    answered on 28 Aug 2012:

    Ah, you mean this:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185878/Doctors-baffled-mystery-illness-causes-woman-grow-fingernails-instead-hair.html

    It seems that the experts are baffled, so I’m afraid that we won’t be any use. Sorry!

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  4. Photo: Simon O'TooleSimon O'Toole
    answered on 2 Sep 2012:

    Goodness – I’ve never heard of that one! Sounds ghastly though – I think it might be a question for the Disease Zone scientists too!

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Comments

  1. Photo: admin_kristinadmin_kristin
    commented on 30 Aug 2012:

    So @Mark posted this question onto Twitter, and Darren Saunders, one of our previous “I’m a Scientist” scientists suggested “For starters, the diff between hair and nails is in the way the keratin protein “folds”, so possibly a genetic defect changing the structure of keratin?”

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  2. Photo: MarkMark
    commented on 30 Aug 2012:

    Seems that there is little scientific evidence related to the article. The article, and the other press that discussed it really highlight the need to people to ask questions? Is it real? how does it happen? can it happen? and then over time it maybe possible to test some of the questions using science. I think an often quoted fact about the press is “never let the facts get in the way of a good story”. But we will stay tuned in case other evidence comes forward.

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