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Hair heterochromia is characterised by the presence of hair of two naturally-occurring different colours in an individual. Although scalp and facial hair can often be different colours in fairer-haired individuals, hair on the rest of the body tends to be much darker than the scalp hair.1 Eyelashes are usually also more darkly pigmented than scalp hair for most people. Moreover, a slight variation in the colour of individual hair shafts can sometimes be seen in a normal scalp.1 This report describes an infant with a circular patch of focal scalp hair heterochromia without any underlying abnormalities.
Case Report
A six-month-old Omani male infant presented to the Department of Dermatology, Saham Hospital, Oman, in 2013 with a patch of different coloured hair on his head. The child was active and growing at an age-appropriate rate. A local examination revealed a focal circular area of golden-yellow hair 3 cm in diameter on the right side of the scalp, located at the midline in the occipital area of the head [Figure 1A]. The heterochromatic hairs were consistent in colour from the root to the tip of the hair shaft. The rest of the hair on his scalp as well as the eyebrows and eyelashes were light brown. The skin under the lesion was not depigmented. No other family members had previously reported similar pigmentation disorders. Routine investigations, including total iron binding capacity, serum ferritin and serum copper levels, did not reveal any nutritional deficiencies.
An examination of the heterochromic hair under a light microscope revealed a homogenous distribution of pigment along the hair length. No thinning was noted when compared with the darker scalp hair. A Wood’s lamp examination of the skin and hair also did not reveal any abnormalities....