Faun tail nevus

A 20-year-old girl presented with overgrowth of hair over the lumbosacral area since birth. There was no history of back pain, urinary incontinence, paresthesia or weakness of the muscles of the lower limbs. She was born of a non-consanguineous marriage by vaginal delivery at term with normal developmental milestones. Local cutaneous examination revealed a 20 × 15 cm circumscribed area of hypertrichosis with coarse dark terminal hairs of varying lengths overlying the lumbosacral region [Figure 1]. The skin over the lumbosacral area was normal. Neurological examination, gait, tendon jerks, muscle power, and sensations over the lower limbs were normal. We diagnosed it as faun tail nevus. There were no other cutaneous markers of spinal dysraphism in this patient. Since faun tail nevus is a cutaneous marker of underlying spinal abnormalities, an orthopedician opinion and computed tomography of the lumbosacral area were done and found to be normal.

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Figure 1:

A tuft of terminal hairs in the lumbosacral region (Faun tail).

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The word “Faun” is derived from “Faunus,” which refers to an Italian deity, a creature that is part human and part goat. Localized hair growth over the lumbosacral area may be normal in certain racial groups such as African American, Asian, and Hispanic. Congenital hypertrichosis over the lumbosacral area is a sign of underlying spinal dysraphism.^[1] Maternal consumption of folic acid before and during pregnancy prevents spinal dysraphism. Radiological investigations such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging accurately diagnose the type and extent of spinal dysraphism. The hypertrichosis in this condition can be treated by waxing, shaving, electrolysis, and lasers using intense pulse light, Nd-YAG, and diode laser. This case is reported for its rarity and also to highlight that a thorough radiological and neurological examination is mandatory for all cases of faun tail nevus.