What is Ambras Syndrome? Girl nicknamed Chewbacca shaves facial hair to marry the love of her life

Once crowned the world's hairiest girl and nicknamed "Chewbacca", Thailand's Supatra "Nat" Sasuphan, has now shaved her face to marry the love of her life. Chewbacca is a Star Wars character, who has hair all over his body.

The 17-year-old teenager, who is suffering from Ambras Syndrome, had won the Guinness World Record for the hairiest girl on Earth in 2010. Her father, Samrerng, told RT News that his daughter is still suffering from the disease but has started shaving her face and body to tie the knot.

Supatra, who is reported to be an optimist by nature, said she has got used to being called "Monkey Face" and "Chewbacca" over the years and hopes to become a doctor someday.

Recently, she posted a picture of herself without hair on her Facebook page and wrote a song praising her husband. He is "not just my first lover, you're the love of my life", the post read.

In 2010, when Supatra won the title of the world's hairiest girl in Rome, she said she doesn't feel "any different to anyone else, and I've got lots of friends at school". "Being hairy makes me special," she had added.

Guinness adjudicator Marco Frigatti had also praised her and called her a role model. "She's a remarkable little girl. She's proud of who she is and wants to be treated just like everyone else.

"She's not the one with the problem — it's only those who treat her differently who've got the problem," Frigatti had said.

What is Ambras Syndrome?

Ambras Syndrome, also known as Werewolf Syndrome, is a very rare type of skin disease characterised by excessive hair growth all over the body, except on the palms, soles, and mucous membranes.

Around 50 people in the world are known to have suffered from this rare condition since the Middle Ages.

There are two types of Ambras syndrome, also called hypertrichosis. They are congenital and acquired. The first one is extremely rare and is always present at birth, while the second type develops after birth and is often associated with medication side effects, eating disorders and cancer.

Congenital Ambras syndrome is said to be passed from parents to children. Chances of getting affected with the condition are higher for girls if the father is suffering from it.

If the father is affected by the 8q chromosome mutation, there are high chances that the girl child will acquire the condition but not the male offspring.

Mothers with the genetic mutation have a 50% chance of passing on Ambras syndrome to their offspring.