Marie Antoinette, Queen of France during the French Revolution, a historical figure as loved as she was repudiated, who will undoubtedly go down in history as a tormented woman who was misunderstood by both the people and her own husband. She was also blamed for the extreme poverty of her country and ended up facing the guillotine.

These last days of his life have been used to name a phenomenon known as Marie Antoinette Syndrome , a hair disorder that we will talk about throughout this article and that may have its origin in the experience of highly stressful events.

What is Marie Antoinette Syndrome?

Despite what many may think, Marie Antoinette syndrome has little to do with taste in shoes, fashion or palace life, but refers to a sudden hair disease in which the person’s hair turns completely white in a short period of time.

However, the main characteristic of this alteration is not that the coloured hair becomes white , but that the person suffers from coloured hair loss, remaining only those fibres that are not pigmented. Therefore, it is technically not true that hair becomes white, even if this visual effect occurs.

Although popularly referred to as Marie Antoinette syndrome, it is actually a condition known as alopecia areata for dark hair. Alopecia areata is a disease that causes hair loss in localized areas of the body. This disease does not only affect the scalp or facial hair, but it is these areas that are most affected by this type of alopecia.

The case of Marie Antoinette syndrome is considered as a strange type of alopecia in which the condition keeps grey or non-pigmented hair , causing only those hairs of the usual colour to fall out. Although the exact causes are not known, it is theorized that a genetic factor linked to the experience of periods of high stress may be the triggers of this rare disease.

The main consequence is that the person seems to have aged suddenly, since the disease develops in a very short time.

The case of Marie Antoinette

The origin of the denomination of Marie Antoinette syndrome is found in an old story that states that Marie Antoinette, wife of the monarch Louis XVI was a victim of it during the course of the French Revolution.

The story goes that Marie Antoinette suffered from this disease during the time she was waiting for her execution. According to the legends, when Marie Antoinette entered the Bastille prison her hair was totally dark and days later, when she was released to be executed, her hair had turned completely white.

It is not difficult to imagine that throughout her stay in the Bastille prison, expecting to find herself in front of the guillotine at any moment, Marie Antoinette would suffer from such extremely high levels of anguish, fear and anxiety that it caused her to lose her hair.

Despite the fact that the emotional and psychological situation in which the person finds himself can have a great influence on the appearance of Marie Antoinette syndrome, the truth is that the origin of the disease lies in genetic factors . Thus, despite the belief that this disorder is triggered by stress, mental states do not seem to play the main role in its development.

Finally, and as a curious fact, Marie Antoinette syndrome only refers to cases occurring in women. When this strange illness appears in the male sex it is known as Thomas More Syndrome , a writer of English origin who also suffered from his illness while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London awaiting his execution.

What are the causes?

As previously mentioned, the main causes of Marie Antoinette Syndrome are organic, but high levels of anxiety and stress favour the development of the disease.

It is therefore a condition with a multifactorial origin, which means that there are several conditions that can influence its occurrence. One of them is the genetic factor, in most cases a family history of this type of disease can be found.

On the other hand, it has been found that alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease . This means that it is the person’s organism that causes the symptoms. The accumulation of a specific type of lymphocytes causes a stagnation in hair growth and leads to subsequent hair loss.

However, although it has not been possible to establish a direct and reliable relationship between Marie Antoinette syndrome and the emotional factors associated with it. Most experts support the hypothesis that high levels of distress and stress could facilitate the expression of the disease.

This hypothesis makes even more sense when we remember that there are many other hair conditions, such as dandruff or dermatitis, which are related to living through high periods of stress or experiences with a very high emotional burden.

Is there a treatment?

The incidence of this syndrome is extremely low, occurring in only 0.2-0.3% of the general population . Nevertheless, there are very effective treatments for Marie Antoinette syndrome, which goes into remission in approximately 80% of cases.

Autoimmune diseases, including alopecia, can have different effects on different people. Therefore, the treatment of choice will depend on these effects. The extent of the injuries, as well as the length of time the disease has been present, will be factors to consider when designing an individualized intervention.

However, in the majority of cases the stabilization of the immune response is sought, thanks to which the complete and permanent recovery of the lost hair is usually achieved.