Few things compare to the infinite grossness of finding a hair in your mouth — apart from perhaps finding multiple hairs growing inside your mouth.

But this was exactly what happened to a woman in Italy, who first presented with the peculiar problem when she was 19.

Doctors discovered that the eyelash-like hairs sprouting from the patient’s gums were an expression of a systemic hormonal disorder, diagnosing her with PCOS.

The stray strands and associated soft tissue were removed with topical surgical treatment, and she was prescribed the oral contraceptive pill.