One Year Old Girl With Rare Skin Disorder That Makes Her Look Like An Old Woman

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.