Pruthviraj Patil has suffered from hypertrichosis, a rare genetic condition also known as Werewolf Syndrome, since birth. He is believed to be one of only 50 people in the world with the conditionCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

Pruthviraj’s family have tried a range of treatments – including homeopathy, traditional Indian Ayurvedic remedies and more recently laser surgery – but none has proved successfulCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

Now he has appealed to doctors to help him find a permanent cureCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

“I would like to get the hair removed but even after laser treatment it grows back,” Pruthviraj saidCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

“The doctors don’t have any answers”Credit: BARCROFT MEDIA

When Prithviraj was born villagers told his mother she had given birth to a GodCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

Others thought he was a supernatural creature and a bad omen because of his unique appearanceCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

But despite his abnormal hair growth Pruthviraj, who is from the district of Sangli, near Bombay, is healthy, sporty and popular at schoolCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

“When I first went to school I used to get bullied and other children would laugh at me, but now they treat me like normal,” he saidCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

“We all play cricket together and the hair doesn’t stop me running or catching the ball, so it is not a big problem”Credit: BARCROFT MEDIA

The thick matted hair that covers Pruthviraj’s face has caused him to be stared at and bullied throughout his childhood, and he rarely leaves his home village in India because of the cruelty of strangersCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA

“It is difficult when I venture outside of my hometown or where people don’t know me,” he saidCredit: BARCROFT MEDIA