Pili Torti
Type: Symptom
Definition
Highly fragile, strangely pigmented hair shafts that are flattened and twisted upon themselves.
Clinical Details
Copper is a mandatory cofactor for the enzyme responsible for creating the structurally rigid disulfide bonds within hair keratin. Without these bonds, the hair shafts grow out structurally malformed, brittle, and entirely devoid of normal pigment. The infant's hair appears steel-colored, incredibly sparse, and feels like coarse, wiry steel wool.