A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Hair growth on the forehead is suppressed in a bilateral pair of periorbital fields. Without a widow's peak, these fields join in the middle of the forehead so as to give a hairline that runs straight across. A widow's peak results when the point of intersection on the forehead of the upper perimeters of these fields is lower than usual.
A widow's peak is a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead; [1] there are varying degrees of the peak. Although it is commonly taught as an example of a dominant inherited trait, [2] [3] there are no scientific studies to support this. [4] [5]
The term stems from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead – suggestive of the peak of a widow's hood – is an omen of early widowhood. [6] The use of peak in relation to hair dates from 1833. [7] The expression widow's peak dates from 1849. [7] The use of peak may refer to the beak or bill of a headdress, particularly the distinctive hood with a pointed piece in front – a biquoquet [8] – which widows wore as a hood of mourning dating from 1530. [7] Another explanation for the origin of the phrase suggests that it may be related to the mourning caps worn as early as the 16th century. A mourning cap or 'Mary Stuart Cap' is a cap which features a very distinctive triangular fold of cloth in the middle of the forehead, creating an artificial widow's peak. The use of peak referring to a point in the cloth covering the forehead dates to at least 1509 when it appears in Alexander Barclay’s The Shyp of Folys:
And ye Jentyl wymen whome this lewde vice doth blynde Lased on the backe: your peakes set a loft. [9]
Ely Guv Hintonith and M. Michael Cohen hypothesized the widow's peak hairline to be an anomaly [10] that results from a lower-than-usual point of intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead. [11] This can occur because the periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression are smaller than usual, or because they are more widely spaced. [11] Wide spacing also explains the association between ocular hypertelorism – that is, the eyes being abnormally far apart – and widow's peak; [11] this was suggested by findings in an unusual case of ocular hypertelorism in which surrounding scalp-hair growth was suppressed by an ectopic (displaced) eye. [12] In some cases, Widow's peaks are a symptom of Donnai-Barrow syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the LRP2 gene. [13] Other genetic syndromes occasionally associated with widow's peaks include Waardenburg syndrome and Aarskog syndrome. [14] Widow's Peaks are also seen to derive from Opitz G/BBB syndrome.
Widow's peaks are slightly more common among males, although in recent studies the difference has been found to not be statistically significant. Studies among the Isoko ethnic group in Nigeria found that 15.45% of males had a widow's peak present as compared to 16.36% of females. [15]
People with natural widow's peaks include singers Nick Jonas, Britney Spears, Damiano David, Alex Turner, Lauren Jauregui, Jack White, Harry Styles, Kat Bjelland, Rebecca Black, and Zayn Malik, six-time world Snooker champion Ray Reardon (nickname Dracula, in reference to his prominent widow's peak and sharp canine teeth.), [16] professional tennis player Taylor Fritz, actors Chris Hemsworth, Keanu Reeves, Kit Harington, Leonardo DiCaprio, [17] [18] John Travolta, [17] Grace Kelly, [17] Blake Lively, [17] Fran Drescher, [17] [18] Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Andy García, Colin Farrell, James Roday, Rekha, Luke Evans, and male model Hamza Ali Abbasi, [19] [20] as well as politicians Paul Ryan, [21] Ronald Reagan, [21] Andrew Jackson. [21]
A number of fictional people have a widow's peak. [22] In film, this trait is often associated with a villain or antagonist; [23] Count Dracula is an example. Eddie Munster – from the television program The Munsters – also had this distinctive hairline. [22] Another villain depicted as having widow's peak hair is The Joker from Batman comic books and films. Namor, the Sub-Mariner has long held the feature. [24] Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise is known for his widow's peak. [22] Hannibal Lecter is repeatedly described as having one in the novels that feature his story. However, the hairline is not strictly associated with fictional villains, for example beloved Disney character Mickey Mouse sports a distinctive widow's peak. The original illustrations of Sherlock Holmes present the famed detective with a prominent widow's peak, as do all of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko's drawings of Peter Parker, and a sketch of James Bond personally commissioned by the author Ian Fleming. Pulp fiction hero Doc Savage also had this hair trait. [25] Oberyn Martell from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels is described as having a prominent widow's peak.
Additionally, widow's peaks are shown to poll well for politicians. According to research by Shawn Rosenberg of the University of California, Irvine, "widow’s peaks (though more so on female candidates) were a clear positive. It was associated with being seen as more competent and with greater integrity". [26]
Cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disorder, and is one of the RASopathies. It was first described in 1986.
Exophthalmos is a bulging of the eye anteriorly out of the orbit. Exophthalmos can be either bilateral or unilateral. Complete or partial dislocation from the orbit is also possible from trauma or swelling of surrounding tissue resulting from trauma.
Saethre–Chotzen syndrome (SCS), also known as acrocephalosyndactyly type III, is a rare congenital disorder associated with craniosynostosis. This affects the shape of the head and face, resulting in a cone-shaped head and an asymmetrical face. Individuals with SCS also have droopy eyelids (ptosis), widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), and minor abnormalities of the hands and feet (syndactyly). Individuals with more severe cases of SCS may have mild to moderate intellectual or learning disabilities. Depending on the level of severity, some individuals with SCS may require some form of medical or surgical intervention. Most individuals with SCS live fairly normal lives, regardless of whether medical treatment is needed or not.
Pattern hair loss is a hair loss condition that primarily affects the top and front of the scalp. In male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), the hair loss typically presents itself as either a receding front hairline, loss of hair on the crown and vertex of the scalp, or a combination of both. Female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) typically presents as a diffuse thinning of the hair across the entire scalp.
Axenfeld–Rieger syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, which affects the development of the teeth, eyes, and abdominal region.
Aarskog–Scott syndrome (AAS) is a rare disease inherited as X-linked and characterized by short stature, facial abnormalities, skeletal and genital anomalies. This condition mainly affects males, although females may have mild features of the syndrome.
3C syndrome is a rare condition whose symptoms include heart defects, cerebellar hypoplasia, and cranial dysmorphism. It was first described in the medical literature in 1987 by Ritscher and Schinzel, for whom the disorder is sometimes named.
Weaver syndrome is an extremely rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder associated with rapid growth beginning in the prenatal period and continuing through the toddler and youth years. It is characterized by advanced osseous maturation and distinctive craniofacial, skeletal and neurological abnormalities. It is similar to Sotos syndrome and is classified as an overgrowth syndrome.
Frontonasal dysplasia (FND) is a congenital malformation of the midface. For the diagnosis of FND, a patient should present at least two of the following characteristics: hypertelorism, a wide nasal root, vertical midline cleft of the nose and/or upper lip, cleft of the wings of the nose, malformed nasal tip, encephalocele or V-shaped hair pattern on the forehead. The cause of FND remains unknown. FND seems to be sporadic (random) and multiple environmental factors are suggested as possible causes for the syndrome. However, in some families multiple cases of FND were reported, which suggests a genetic cause of FND.
18p-, also known as monosomy 18p, deletion 18p syndrome, del(18p) syndrome, partial monosomy 18p, or de Grouchy syndrome 1, is a genetic condition caused by a deletion of all or part of the short arm of chromosome 18. It occurs in about 1 of every 50,000 births.
Poliosis circumscripta, commonly referred to as a "white forelock," is a condition characterized by localized patches of white hair due to a reduction or absence of melanin in hair follicles. Although traditionally associated with the scalp, poliosis can affect any hairy area on the body, including eyebrows, eyelashes, and beards. Microscopically, poliosis is marked by the lack of melanin or melanocytes in the hair bulbs, though epidermal melanocytes typically remain unaffected unless associated with conditions like vitiligo.
Triangular alopecia is hair loss that may be congenital but usually appears in childhood as a focal patch of loss that may be complete or leaving fine vellus hairs behind. Affected individuals are typically entirely healthy. Hair restoration surgery using follicular unit transplantation has been a successful treatment modality for TTA
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Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome, also called Keipert syndrome, is a rare congenital syndrome first described by J.A. Keipert and colleagues in 1973. The syndrome is characterized by a misshaped nose, broad thumbs and halluces, brachydactyly, sensorineural hearing loss, facial features such as hypertelorism, and developmental delay.
Goldberg–Shprintzen syndrome is a very rare connective tissue condition associated with mutations in KIAA1279 gene which encodes KIF-binding protein (KBP), a protein that may interact with microtubules and actin filaments. KBP may play a key role in cytoskeleton formation and neurite growth.
Opitz G/BBB syndrome, also known as Opitz syndrome, G syndrome or BBB syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder that will affect physical structures along the midline of the body. The letters G and BBB represent the last names of the families that were first diagnosed with the disorder, while Opitz is the last name of the doctor that first described the signs and symptoms of the disease. There are two different forms of Optiz G/BBB syndrome: x-linked (recessive) syndrome and dominant autosomal syndrome. However, both result in common physical deformities, although their pattern of inheritance may differ. Several other names for the disease(s) are no longer used. These include hypospadias-dysphagia syndrome, Opitz-Frias syndrome, telecanthus with associated abnormalities, and hypertelorism-hypospadias syndrome.
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High anterior hairline is a dysmorphic feature in which the frontal hairline which defines the top and sides of the forehead is unusually high. This can mean that either the distance between the trichion (hairline) and glabella is more than 2 SD above the mean, or that this distance is apparently (subjectively) increased.
Media related to Widow's peaks at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of widow's peak at Wiktionary