There are only 100 verified cases of uncombable hair syndrome in the world, and Locklan Samples is one of them.
Katelyn Samples, the one-year-old mother, has been raising awareness of her baby’s uncommon genetic illness by posting images of her baby on Instagram.
Samples, 33, first learned about the disorder in July 2021, when a follower asked whether her child had been diagnosed with it.
First, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what is this?'”‘”‘” she told The Independent. “My greatest concern was that there was something wrong with him, that he was suffering because he lacked hair.”
Locklan was born with black baby hair. After five months, his hair began to grow in, resembling “peach fuzz.” Caleb, her 33-year-old husband, assumed the strange texture meant it would be curly like Shepherd, his two-year-old brother.
“Umm, what is this?” said the group. Samples were handed out. Then it just kept getting bigger and bigger.” “We knew it was different, but we didn’t know how.”
The samples searched the internet for information on the syndrome after learning about it. In response, she contacted Locklan’s doctor, who was completely unaware of the situation.
Doctors identified him after referring her to a pediatric dermatology expert at Emory Hospital in Atlanta.
“You go about your day thinking everything is fine and that your child may have curly hair, which is inherited,” she explained. “And then to find out that your child has a rare condition – that was insane.”
In her 19 years of practice, the doctor has never seen a case of uncombable hair syndrome.
“Spun glass hair” is characterized by exceptionally soft, straw-colored hair with a dull texture that grows in all directions and is hard to comb down or flatten.
Children between the ages of three months and twelve years are most affected by this disorder, which is caused by differences in hair shaft development.
When a person reaches adolescence or maturity, uncombable hair syndrome usually improves. Locklan is developing normally in all other areas, and doctors assured the family they didn’t need to worry.
Locklan’s hair tends to be delicate and prone to becoming tangled and matted, so Samples says treating it is a little different. She only washes his hair once a week, unless he plays in the mud. His hair also doesn’t get as oily.
“He just wakes up ready to roll.” “I try not to deal with it if I don’t have to.”
Locklan’s hair attracts a lot of attention when they go outside. His parents are fine with people touching it as long as they ask.
Since Locklan was diagnosed with uncombable hair syndrome, Samples has been documenting Locklan’s struggle on social media. Her goal is to raise awareness of the disease and to connect with other people who are suffering from it.
As Samples explained, “We thought, ‘Let’s share him, let’s share his story,’ so that we can be a resource for other parents who might find themselves in the same situation as my husband and me.'” She says, “There’s not a lot of information out there.”
Locklan’s Instagram page grew from 3,000 to over 17,000 followers in only a few weeks.
As Samples puts it, the nicest thing about sharing Locklan’s story is being able to bring joy to others.
“It’s great to receive notes like ‘Seeing him changed my day,'” she said.
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