What is the Marie Antoinette Syndrome?

He Marie Antoinette Syndrome It is a disease that makes the hair of the head appear to have turned gray suddenly, becoming totally white in a matter of hours.

However, the real and scientific explanation of this fact is far from the popular belief: it is not a question of the hair turning white, but rather that the one with coloration falls off quickly.

Marie Antoinette

The name with which the syndrome is popularly known is due to the ancient legend that states that Marie Antoinette, Queen of France at the time of French Revolution , he was a victim of it. In any case, the scientific name of the disease is alopecia areata, more specifically that of dark hair.

This syndrome has always been associated with stress , fear or high levels of anguish . This is because the aforementioned queen had that episode when she was waiting for her execution. Although it is true that these factors influence a lot, the disease itself has several different triggers.

Marie Antoinette and the symptoms of the syndrome

During the revolutionary era, in the France of the late eighteenth century, Queen Marie Antoinette did not enjoy precisely the sympathies of the people. She was accused of being wasteful, not caring at all about the poverty in which the majority of the population lived.

An anecdote repeated many times about her (without being able to ensure its veracity) tells that, seeing some citizens claiming help, she asked her companions why they were complaining.

They replied that it was because they could not make bread, given the price of their raw materials. At this, the queen replied,"Well, let them eat cakes."

The story was reproduced throughout Paris and it is not surprising that, after the revolutionary triumph was among the first positions to be a victim of the guillotine.

It was precisely in the expectation of this execution that the queen suffered the syndrome that bears her name. He entered the Bastille prison with his black hair and, three days later, when he was on his way to the scaffold, his hair seemed to have turned completely white.

Alopecia areata

Experts point out that a mane needs between 3 and 4 years to grow in length, making it impossible for dark hair to suddenly turn white. What does exist is a strange disease called alopecia areata that causes sudden baldness only in the hair with coloration, which falls completely and leaves only gray hair behind.

When Marie Antoinette began waiting for her execution in the cell, it is said that most of her hair hair was dark. However, with the passage of time most of it was gray.

Most of his hair might fall, the dark one, and the rest that had not fallen was white. This fall could be due to alopecia areata or stress.

Causes of the syndrome

Despite the importance of the nervous factor, the causes of the syndrome are actually different. The first is the genetic predisposition. This means that those who suffer from it already have a greater chance of suffering from it.

On the other hand, alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. It is the body itself that provokes it, without it being necessary the appearance of a virus or bacteria to develop.

The emotional factor

The emotional factor, this is anguish, stress or other analogous feelings, seems to be related to the development of this syndrome. It is true that we have not yet found experimental evidence on this relationship, but almost all experts assume that it exists.

On the one hand, it is suspected that it may be one of the elements that triggers the disease. In addition, a kind of vicious circle is usually established, since the loss of hair causes even more stress, which also accelerates the loss of hair.

Did Marie Antoinette have stress?

The case of María Antonieta presents a very clear reason for stress: the wait before its execution. Certainly, the queen must already have the genetic predisposition, but the tension and anguish (not only during her stay in the cell, but throughout the revolutionary process) could accelerate the disorder.

According to some scholars, this anguish causes the immune system to destroy the hair follicles, causing the effects to be faster.

Not in vain, stress is also related to other conditions of the hair, such as dandruff or the appearance of fat. This is because the body begins to produce more hormones that end up having these effects on the scalp.

Affected and treatment

The truth is that the percentage of the population that suffers from this syndrome is very small. According to the available data, only 0.2-0.3% suffer from this type of alopecia. That yes, there are slight variations depending on the area of ​​the world in which it is born.

Treatment

The early diagnosis of this alopecia is one of the most important factors when it comes to treating it. Like all autoimmune diseases, it affects very differently each person, so it requires a previous study to see how it can be fought.

In any case, it is a syndrome that usually heals in more than 80% of cases. Sometimes, hair loss is slowed down and, even, the hair loss is recovered. Others, it can be completely cured.

The most common treatments, depending on the affected one and how advanced it is, are the medications that increase the immune system or, on the contrary, others that depress the defenses.

Other celebrities affected

In addition to Marie Antoinette, there is evidence that other known characters suffered from the disease. The most typical example and which, in fact, sometimes gives name to the syndrome when it affects men, is that of Tomás Moro and, moreover, with a background very similar to that of the queen.

Moro, humanist and English writer, spent some time locked in the Tower of London awaiting his execution, in 1535. Before occurring, the same symptoms that the queen would suffer centuries later were observed.

Also, several cases are known among soldiers who participated in the two world wars, which seems to underpin the theory about the emotional factor.

References

1. Tardón, Laura. The syndrome of Marie Antoinette. Retrieved from elmundo.es
2. Torres, Cristina. What is the syndrome of Marie Antoinette?. Retrieved from centromujer.republica.com
3. Ayala, Maite. The Marie Antoinette syndrome: white hair from night to morning. Retrieved from supercurioso.com
4. Alexander A. Navarini, MD, PhD; Stephan Nobbe, MD. Marie Antoinette Syndrome. Retrieved from jamanetwork.com
5. Dr. Murray Feingold. Second Opinion: Can hair really turn white overnight?. Retrieved from metrowestdailynews.com
6. Abrahams, Marc. And his hair turned white overnight '- or did it?. Retrieved from theguardian.com
7. Hammond, Claudia. Can Stress turn your hair gray?. Retrieved from bbc.com
8. Syndromespedia. What is Marie Antoinette Syndrome?. Retrieved from syndromespedia.com