Marie Antoinette syndrome: hair that seems to turn white

Marie Antoinette, queen of France during the French Revolution, a historical figure as loved as she was disowned who, without doubts of her, she will go down in the annals of her history as a tormented and misunderstood woman both by the people and by her own husband. To which, in addition, was blamed for the extreme poverty of her country and ended up facing the guillotine.

These last days of her life have been used to give a name to a phenomenon known as the Marie Antoinette syndrome, a hair disorder that we will talk about throughout this article and that may have its origin in experiencing highly stressful events.

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What is Marie Antoinette syndrome?

Despite what many may think, the Marie Antoinette syndrome has little to do with taste in shoes, fashion or life in the palace, Rather, it refers to a sudden onset hair disease in which the person's hair turns completely white in a short period of time. time.

Nevertheless, the main characteristic of this alteration is not that the colored hair turns white

, but the person suffers a loss of colored hair, remaining only those non-pigmented fibers. So, technically it is not true that the hair turns white, even if this visual effect occurs.

Although it has been popularly called the Marie Antoinette syndrome, it is actually a condition known as alopecia areata for dark hair. Alopecia areata is a disease that causes hair loss in localized areas of the body. This disease does not only affect the scalp or facial hair, but these areas are the most affected by this type of alopecia.

The case of the Marie Antoinette syndrome is considered as a rare type of alopecia in which the condition keeps the hair gray or unpigmented, causing the fall of only those hairs of the usual color. Although the exact causes are not known, it is theorized that a genetic factor together with the experience of periods of high stress may be the trigger for this rare disease.

The main consequence is that the person seems to have aged suddenly, since the disease develops in a very short time.

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The case of Marie Antoinette

The origin of the denomination of Marie Antoinette syndrome is found in an old story that states that Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI he was a victim of it during the course of the French Revolution.

The story goes that Marie Antoinette suffered from this disease during the time when she awaited her execution. According to legends, when Marie Antoinette entered the Bastille prison, her hair was completely dark and that days later, when she was released for execution, her hair had turned white for complete.

It is not difficult to imagine that throughout his stay in the Bastille prison, expecting to find himself facing the guillotine, Marie Antoinette would suffer from levels of anguish, fear and anxiety so extremely high that they caused her to fall from the hair.

Despite the fact that the emotional and psychological situation in which the person finds himself can exert a great influence on the appearance of the Marie Antoinette syndrome, the truth is that the origin of the disease lies in genetic factors. Thus, despite the belief that this alteration is triggered by stress, mental states do not seem to play the main role in its development.

Finally, and as a curious fact, the Marie Antoinette syndrome only refers to cases that occur in women. When this strange disease appears in the male sex, it is known as Thomas More syndrome., English-born writer who also suffered from his illness while imprisoned in the Tower of London awaiting his execution.

What are the causes?

As previously mentioned, the main causes of Marie Antoinette syndrome are organic, However, experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress favor the development of the disease.

Therefore, it is a condition with a multifactorial origin, which means that there are several conditions that can influence its appearance. One of them is the genetic factor, in most cases you can find a family history of this type of disease.

On the other hand, it has been found that alopecia areata It is an autoimmune disease. This means that it is the person's body that causes the symptoms. The accumulation of a specific type of lymphocytes causes a stagnation in hair growth and causes its subsequent loss.

However, although it has not been possible to establish a direct and reliable relationship between the Marie Antoinette syndrome and the emotional factors associated with it. Most experts support the hypothesis that high levels of anxiety and stress could facilitate the expression of the disease.

This hypothesis makes even more sense when you remember that there are many other hair conditions, such as dandruff or dermatitis, which are related to the experience of high periods of stress or experiences with a very emotional charge elevated.

Is there a treatment?

The incidence of this syndrome is extremely low. occurring only in between 0.2 and 0.3% of the general population. However, there are very effective treatments for Marie Antoinette syndrome, which comes to remission in approximately 80% of cases.

Autoimmune diseases, including alopecia, can have different effects on each person. Therefore, the treatment of choice will depend on these effects. The extent of the lesions, as well as the period of time that the disease has manifested itself, will be factors to take into account when preparing an individualized intervention.

However, in In most cases, the stabilization of the immune response is sought., thanks to which the complete and permanent recovery of lost hair is usually achieved.