Every year, millions of babies are born, and every single one of them is different. With varying skin colors, eye colors, hair colors and their own characteristics, it’s what makes them unique. However, every year, approximately 5 in every 100,000 people are born with Albinism. This rare disorder is still relatively unknown because so many varying forms of it exist (as we said, we’re all unique!). Nevertheless, many scientists have dedicated their whole lives to find out even more about the disorder, its causes, and its effects.
What these dedicated researchers have found is that albinism is a congenital disorder that can be found within people of all races, ethnicities, ages, and genders and is the result of a partial or complete lack of a pigment called melanin. Amongst the majority of the general population, melanin (along with genetics) determines your skin color, your eye color, and your hair color. However, those who lack this pigment may develop stark white hair, white skin, and pale eyes. Although albinism does not pose an obvious health risk, those with albinism may suffer from eye conditions such as partial vision and blindness, as well as a sensitivity to light.
Albinism is a lifelong condition, but is rarely ever harmful and does not require treatment – because it is a genetic disorder which cannot be treated. Although those with albinism may need to attend eye tests more frequently and be careful when in direct sunlight, albinism does not get worse over time or with age. Most of the time, signs of albinism are found at birth, but there are many cases where it has been found later in life. There are also cases where doctors are baffled by the distinct characteristics a baby exhibits – just like little Bence. With his stark white hair, doctors were convinced that Bence was born with albinism. But what is the truth behind this white-haired baby?
[post_page_title]A little baby with a big difference[/post_page_title]
Let’s be honest, we all get a bit worked up about our looks (yep, even you!) and we all wish we could turn back the clock to when we were youngsters, to a time where wrinkles didn’t exist, we had no idea what age spots were and the only bags we had to worry out were the ones we took shopping – not the ones under our eyes. The best thing about being a kid? Not spending hours choosing the right hair dye to cover your aging white hair. But this baby was different. Bence was born in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, and was born with a full head of white hair.
