Rare disease leaves people with brain like ridges on their scalp

For one out of 100,000 men in the general population, or 0.026 in 100,000 women, they are more than just bumps on the head. The folds and ridges, that give the appearance of a brain on top of the head, is an indication of an underlying disease: cutis verticis gyrata (CVG).
The rare disease causes a thickening of the skin on the top of the head which leads to the curves and folds of the scalp.
“There are two forms of it (CVG). There is the primary form where people are born with the condition, and the secondary where it is acquired through other things,” said Dr. Amy Norton, a dermatologist at Mountain State Dermatology, citing a pituitary condition or an inflammatory condition like psoriasis and impetigo as possible precursors to CVG.
According to The Dermatologist website, those with primary CVG have a higher risk of other conditions rising from CVG including neurologic abnormalities such as seizures and eye conditions like cataracts.
While the secondary condition is asymptomatic, there is still a cause for concern over the care of the scalp.
“It (CVG) is mostly cosmetic for people,” said Norton. “Sometimes they have moles that occur in these areas that can be a problem with melanoma developing.”
There are currently no treatments to help those diagnosed with CVG, but there are various steps a person can take in order to prevent further problems from developing.
“What they talk about mainly is good scalp hygiene. You want to keep it clean so there is no infection happening,” said Norton. “There have been some people who have had surgery to correct this recently. It is just cosmetic, taking care of some of that redundant skin on the scalp.”
One of the most recent surgeries to correct the cosmetic appearance of CVG occurred earlier this year when a New York City plastic Surgeon, Dr. Ramtin Kassir, performed two surgeries on a man to smooth out the bumps caused by CVG and to reduce the tension that was caused by his scalp being four times thicker than usual.
While these surgeries can be successful, the relief is not always permanent.