A one-year-old girl in China is suffering from a rare skin disease that makes her look like an old woman. Yuxin Xiaoli is thought be suffering from cutis laxa, Latin for loose or lax skin, a rare connective tissue disorder in which the skin becomes inelastic and hangs loosely in folds.
The little girl’s face is covered with wrinkles, and the skin on her cheeks hangs. The skin on her body is even looser.
Her 23-year-old mother Yang recalls her daughter’s skin was loose when she was born. ‘We didn’t pay much attention, as we thought all kids were like that,’ she said.
Yuxin also has congenital heart disease, pneumonia and asthma, and spends much of her time at the children’s hospital in in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province.
Her hair has to be kept short so doctors can administer drugs through an IV tube and injections into her head. In the past year, the family spent more than 80,000 Yuan (around £8,000) on her treatment.
Despite her declining health, Yuxin’s family say she is a lively child. ‘She is quite active and smart and she imitates others’ facial expressions quickly,’ her grandmother said.
