A UK study has discovered the genes that cause monobrows to grow, hair to grey and beards to be bushy.
University College London Department of Genetics researcher Professor Andrés Ruiz-Linares and his team looked at the DNA of more than 6,000 Latin Americans of mixed European, Native American and African ancestry.
Participants were assessed on seven hair characteristics: shape; colour; hair-balding; hair-greying; facial hair thickness; presence of a monobrow; and eyebrow thickness.
After comparing the DNA of all participants, the researchers were able to identify a correlation between specific gene strains and the hair characteristics examined.
They identified 10 genetic variations that influence the shape colour and abundance of head hair, including facial hair.
While some gene strains were shown to influence more than one hair feature, most of the variations for each of the facial hair traits did not overlap.
Further research possible
Doctor Rodney Sinclair, Director of Dermatology at Epworth Hospital and University of Melbourne researcher, told SBS these findings could assist with research into the correlation between physical characteristics and disease.
"Many of these physical traits also have associations with systemic illness," Professor Sinclair said.
"Premature balding is linked to cardiac disease and prostate cancer. Premature greying of the hair is linked to Progeria, auto-immune disease and Down Syndrome. And Red hair is linked to melanoma."
The findings could also lead to further development of beauty enhancement technologies aimed at stopping or promoting natural hair growth.
The research report Genetic variations associated with monobrow and other hair traits was published in the Nature Communications journal.
