Jesus Aceves
Performer Jesus Fajardo Manuel Aceves, who has hypertrichosis, which is a skin condition where an abnormal amount of hair growth is present on the body, inserts a teaspoon into his nose during a rehearsal for the Circus of Horrors at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, south east London January 10, 2013. Circus of Horrors, former finalists on television program "Britain's Got Talent", have advertised for a wolf man or woman on government jobs website Directgov. The circus have a Mexican wolf man (who is Aceves), but new UK Border Agency rules meant that before a worker can be granted a certificate of sponsorship, the company must advertise the job in Britain. Picture taken January 10, 2013. Reuters

41-year-old Mexican Jesus Aceves always used to hide his face with his hands while out in public. However, after years of social isolation accompanied by alcoholism and a career as a circus freak, Aceves has decided to stop hiding his reality from the world.

Aceves suffers from an extremely rare syndrome called hypertrichosis, also known as the “werewolf syndrome.” People with this condition have an abnomal amount of hair on their face and body.

At 13, Aceves and two of his other cousins with the same condition were signed up by a circus. Aceves was provided enough food, money and a place to live. However, he and his cousins were locked up in a cage and presented as an “attraction” to visitors at the circus. Since then, Aceves and his family members have travelled across the US and the UK to perform different circus acts.

Aceves is now the subject of a new documentary titled “Chuy, the Wolf Man.” In a conversation with filmmaker Eva Aridjis, Aceves narrated his struggle while living with the wolf-like physical appearance. Aridjis stayed with Aceves and his family for a year and a half before the making of the documentary.

"Both of our faces are covered in hair and we both live trapped – them at the zoo and me in this body," he said, in a statement. "At least the wolves treat me the same as they treat other humans."

To make a living, Aceves has started to collect cardboards and bottles in the street for recycling. He no longer hides his face while walking down the street and has also given up drinking.

The werewolf condition is so uncommon that only 50 such cases have ever been recorded. Thirteen of the total cases belong to the same family from the town of Loreto in the central state of Zacatecas in Mexico.

Hypertrichosis occurs because of a genetic mutation. The only symptom of the condition is the excessive hair growth, which makes it difficult for the sufferers to interact socially, make friends or even go to the market. The excessive amount of hair can be removed with the help of the laser, although the treatment is not permanent.

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