These Special Individuals Have Rare Genetics
Most of us are born the same way without anything unique about us. For a select few, however, their genetics gave them something special. These can range from webbed hands and incredible eyes to amazing skin or giant bones. Here we celebrate those of us who were born differently.
These are people who stand out from the crowd and have a level of individuality most of us could only dream of. We start our list looking at a little boy who looks like he could star in his very own superhero movie.
A Real-Life Cat Boy
If you have a cat as your favorite pet, you probably like how it looks at you. Surprisingly, human beings suffer from a disorder commonly known as the “cat-eye.” This condition makes the person’s eyes look like those of a cat.
They glow at night, and the patient can see during the day and at night. Nong Youhui, a southern Chinese kid, is among the rare people affected by it. Although he can see during the day and night, his eyes are very photosensitive, unlike the other humans.
Symmetrical or Mirrored Fingers
Ulna Dimelia has a unique condition that can affect anyone, although it is very rare. The disorder features mirrored fingers. The patient’s hand has eight fingers, four facing the other four, hence the name “mirrored fingers.”
Before knowing that it is a disorder, some people think that the patient is holding hands with themselves. You could also believe that it is two people high-fiving. It’s amazing to see but must be difficult to live with.
Those Aren’t Contact Lenses
People who wear contact lenses are spoiled for choice with the many colors available. Some go for the green, others like brown, and some are obsessed with blue. But did you know that Iced-blue eyes are a medical condition that makes the patient look like they are wearing blue contact lenses?
Jalicia Nightengale is one of the unique people with iced blue eyes. This stunning model says that she did not like her eyes when she was a child because other children bullied her over them. However, she started appreciating them when she began modeling.
Redefining the Word “Disjointed”
When you look at your thumbs, you will notice a thumb joint just above the nails. However, a genetic abnormality is called Congenital Trigger Finger, where the patient lacks a thumb joint in the left finger.
This condition is very rare among people, and reports say it affects only 3 out of 1000 children. The joint-less thumb is very smooth, making handshakes easier. Isn’t that a good trade-off for the not-so-comfortable handshakes?
Beautiful as Black or White
Have you heard of Unilateral Vitiligo? Victoria Krus, a model, suffers from this condition. It is characterized by one side of the face being white. The condition is commonly referred to as a Half-moon face because the face resembles a half-moon.
Victoria says she is not afraid of her appearance and that she thinks she is beautiful. However, it took her a while to understand the condition because people could quickly notice it and comment.
A Crazy Long Tumb
Is your thumb shorter than the rest of your fingers? Because that is the standard size of a thumb. However, Triphalangeal Thumb, or a Tom Thumb, is a disease that causes the thumb to grow as tall as the other fingers.
The disease is rare among people worldwide; according to reports, about 25,000 children have a Tom Thumb. The rest of the fingers for these patients have the standard height. The disadvantage of a Tom Thumb is that the patients have difficulty playing musical instruments.
A Ugandan Boy with Vitiligo
A particular type of vitiligo was found on a Ugandan kid who had very different skin from anyone else. This boy’s vitiligo has affected his significant body parts, like the entire hand and a part of the upper arm.
The boy’s eyes are blue, and this is due to ocular albinism. The vitiligo also affects parts of his face, like a part of the forehead and the upper lips
A Wonderful Color Combination
Most people have the same color of their eye’s iris. But there is a rare condition called Heterochromia, where the patient has a different iris color. One of the rarely found people is a lady with brown and blue eyes. Additionally, her hair is red.
The combination of the different eye colors and red hair makes her unique. This condition is rare among people globally. According to statistics, only 2% of the world’s population has red hair, the rest have dyed their hair red, and 0.011 of the people have a different color of the iris.
The Cut Little Lioness
Besides Heterochromia and red hair, another rare condition is Shilah Madison’s Uncomfortable Hair Syndrome. When you see her for the first time, you will think it is stylish or that she has dyed her hair, which is not the case.
Shilah’s hair is hard to maintain because it sticks up and splits from the roots, unlike the common splitting that starts from the ends. The girl also looks more like a little lioness because of the hair color.
An Extra Helping Hand
A person’s hand has five fingers, and those with more fingers have an extra tiny one on the side of their little finger. However, there is a rare condition called Polydactyly, where a person is born with six fingers. This condition can also cause extra toes and fingers, and other people get both.
The condition is very rare, and less than 1000 people worldwide were born with six or more fingers. The genes can be passed over to the next generation, so having a kid with Polydactyly is a likelihood.
Another Unique Pair of Eyes
When you look at your pupil in the mirror, you realize that it is at the center of the iris and not very tiny. But there is a condition called Coloboma, where the person’s pupil is at the bottom of the eye. The pupil does not move from this position, but the patient can see well.
This condition seems weird, and only a few people suffer from it. Most people refer to these eyes as the Holy Eye, and it resembles that of a cat, with the pupil being a small hole on the lower side of the iris.
Are They Toes or Fingers?
Chances are your fingers are way longer than the toes, but you will be surprised to know that a condition makes people have long toes like the fingers. This was seen on a Taiwanese social media platform when a Taiwanese girl uploaded a photo of her long toes.
She says that she inherited the long toes from her relatives, meaning that it is a genetic disorder that she could pass on to her kids. As a child, the chances are high that your peers will bully you for having long toes. Although the bullying affected the Taiwanese girl, she has learned to live with her feet.
A Body Built for Swimming
Most birds that live in the water have webbed feet to help them walk through the water. However, a rare disease called Syndactyly that affects humans was discovered by a guy with webbed fingers. The middle and ring fingers are connected from the bottom to the part with the joints.
The disease can also affect the toes, where two toes are connected. This disease is not common, and statistics show that it affects 1 in 2000 children worldwide. The condition also affects children before they are born because most of them are born with it.
Inheriting From Both Mom and Dad
When you look at your thumbs, you will notice that they are of the same size. However, a couple gave birth to a son and realized that he had inherited each of their thumbs, meaning this guy’s right thumb was short, like his mother’s, and the left one taller like his father’s.
This illness does not have an official name yet, but it’s a genetic defect worth looking into. Also, although this guy’s thumbs are of different heights, his right thumb has Brachydactyly type D, which makes the thumb shorter than the standard size.
Learning to Adapt
Amniotic Band Syndrome is a rare disease that can affect anybody. The patient is born with a hand that has two fingers only, the pinky and the thumb. No doubt that the condition will present many challenges in life.
Looking at a picture of someone with Amniotic syndrome, you will wonder how these people do things for themselves, like washing clothes or eating, but they actually can. These people lack the rest of their fingers but learn to adapt.
Looking Like a Disney Princess
Waardenburg syndrome affects around 1 out of 40,000 people globally, meaning it is a rare condition. Wide-set eyes, the distance between one eye and the other being abnormally wide, characterize the disease.
It is caused by an uncommon mutation in the human DNA. People can pass the condition on to the next generation. Some people suffering from this syndrome can also be deaf, but very few suffer from both. Stef Sanjati suffers from the Waardenburg Syndrome. She has a YouTube platform where she teaches people about the disease and how to deal with it.
More Than Just a Skin Tone
One of the most prevalent disorders that people have learned to live with is albinism. Children are born looking pale because they lack melanin that gives the skin its color. Albinos also have pale hair, and most wear hats when walking in the sun.
Statistics show that 1 in 20,000 people suffers from albinism. Although the condition is mainly seen on the skin, the patients suffer other health problems. Albino children and adults also suffer vision loss, and sometimes others are deaf. The many conditions make their lives hard, although some people think that albinism is cool.
Tallest Woman in the World
Some short people envy tall guys and women, but a condition called Gigantism makes a person grow much taller than average. Elisany da Cruz Silva, the tallest woman in the world, suffers from this condition.
Although some people might admire her, her height is risky and unpleasant. However, some will appreciate the fact that this woman gets all the attention.
The Incredible Marfan Syndrome
Some slender people have protruding limbs because of malnutrition. Although for some it could be, others suffer from Marfan Syndrome, and according to research, the condition affects about one in 10,000 babies.
The person’s bones develop longer than an average person’s, which gives them slender limbs and legs. Other people have a bent spine, which makes them walk like their backs are bent. Bradford Cox of Deerhunter is a musician who openly talks about his condition. Although he undergoes many challenges, the disease has not stopped him from following his career.
Tentacles Under the Tongue
Your under-tongue is meaty and veiny, but you will not believe that there is someone out there who has tentacles under theirs. This is a condition called Plica Fimbriata, another rare condition that affects very few of us.
Although their tongue looks scary, it is not harmful in any way. The only challenge people with this condition go through is the tentacles sticking between the person’s teeth, which must be painful.
Beautiful Little Elf Ears
Stahl’s Ear, also called Elf Ears, is a condition that makes the ear look pointed. This is due to extra cartilage in the ear. This can often be quite subtle, but other times the condition can be quite prominent.
Some people who suffer from this condition go for surgery to correct it, although others are not bothered. The disease affects one out of 15,000 babies. It would be a great thing to incorporate into a Halloween costume.
The Tall Movie Star
Have you seen Javier Botet, an actor who is featured in many Hollywood horror films? If you have watched a movie called IT, you probably have. He also played a role in the film Slenderman. Javier has a condition that makes him have a very tall and slender lower body than an average person.
His legs and thighs are very slender and tall, but his upper body is in the correct size. His knees are also protruded. He looks a bit scary in pictures, a reason most horror movies choose him as a character.
A Unique Way of Having Freckles
Some people have smooth faces, with no marks, and with not even the common spots. Others have unique faces with brown spots called freckles. Freckles are common among people worldwide. Some people have a few freckles on their noses and near the face and forehead.
Others have freckles all over the face, and a few other people have freckles on the rest of the body. There are special people with freckles only on one half of the face. Research shows that people get freckles while still in the womb, so they are born with the condition.
Genes or Incredible Coincidence?
Their common presumption is that the effects of genetics are not immediate and that biological features are passed from one generation to the next throughout several generations. However, one case in particular involved a man who tragically lost half the length of his index finger in an accident when he was ten years old.
Later on, when he had a child of his own, his child was born with an index finger that would only grow to the length of his post-accident fingers.
Breaking Down Gender Walls
We have always been brought to believe that men and women have exclusivity over which genetic feature represents a man and which one represents a woman. We may think so, but it seems genetics does not agree with us. An example of the exception to the rule is Harnaam Kaur, a well-known activist for the image of a woman.
She was born with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which causes her facial hair to grow higher than normal women and even men. Believing that human perception should not decide who you are, male or female, she has proudly embraced her condition. She is a strong advocate for women to embrace their natural physical features.
Lycanthropy Causes Incredible Growth
There is a disease that has been around since the Middle Ages called Hypertrichosis that can cause hair to grow at an average that is beyond any normal human being. It has never been scientifically proven what can cause this condition, but it seems always to be associated with hereditary or genetic factors.
Throughout the world, only 50 cases have been publicized about this condition. They are always greeted with great curiosity, awe, and amazement from the medical and scientific community and the general public.
Identical Birthmarks for Mum and Baby
Some aspects of genetic conditions are subtle but are, in truth, an amazing depiction of how genetics directly impact human procreation. A mother and daughter pair were photographed with a visible white stripe on the root of their hair.
The position of the white stripe in the front part of the child’s scalp is the same as the mother’s stripe. Even the child’s mother was amazed at this coincidence when it was a genetic marvel. There is so far no known origin as to how this genetic condition could occur.
A Huge Peace Sign
Joint Hypermobility is sometimes referred to as “double joints;” a condition where a person’s joints are much more flexible than others. It may reach a degree where they can stretch limbs or joints beyond a normal individual’s capabilities. To a person with Joint Hypermobility, these extreme stretches are painless.
Anyone with such a condition would not experience any difficulties in executing day-to-day activities. Surprisingly, some people might benefit from the condition, like ballet dancers, gymnasts, circus performers, and musicians.
Double Trouble Whorling Hair
Whorling hair is a unique genetic condition but it can seem ambiguous, and many people might not even overthink it, more so to realize that it is a genetic condition. Usually, humans develop a single whorl, hair follicles in a circular pattern that only follows one direction.
Double whorls mean that there are two of these circular patterns, and they create a flow in opposite directions from each other. It has been determined that double whorls can run in a person’s family, and when viewed in short hair, it can have an appearance of a pair of owl eyes.
A Curious Case of Hypermobility
What’s the difference between double-joints, Joint Hypermobility and just plain old Hypermobility? The latter is just a bit more extreme. One example of Hypermobility is the ability to turn one’s hand back even to hold objects in reverse.
If anything, a contortionist is the common example of individuals who would find Hypermobility as a career blessing, or if a person is really into taking popping dance moves to the next level. Regardless, it is an outstanding genetic condition to shock someone with.
A Heart Shaped Uvula
It is more common to see individuals with a cleft lip, but there is also a genetic condition whereby a person has a cleft uvula. Uvulas are the small teardrop-shaped part of the flesh that is visibly hanging from the ceiling of the mouth, and it is very visible when viewed using a mirror.
It is an important organ that enables humans to produce sounds for verbal communication. A cleft uvula means that instead of the normal single teardrop shape, the uvula is divided into two and branches out. It can cause a person to sound more ‘nasally,’ but other than that, there are no other adverse side-effects to this condition.
A Common Genetic Variation
Ectrodactyly is a disease that causes the center of the hand to grow in an extremely unusual way. The number of fingers is not the same as any other normal person, as the length of the fingers are irregular.
It is sometimes referred to as ‘split hands’ or ‘cleft hands’ and is a malformation of the fingers. Studies have shown that ten percent of newborns are born with some kind of variation of this genetic condition.
A Stunning Array of Freckles
A model named Hamad Jaman has an increasingly freckled face as he grows older, to a point where his face is covered in freckles. Some medical experts have assumed that the freckles were caused by extreme exposure to the sun.
The actual cause of the unusual skin condition is still very much uncertain. But it does, however, make someone like Hamad Jaman stand out from the crowd.
Beautiful Two Tone Eyes
Heterochromia is a common condition of colored eyes, or colored irises, which normally consist of just one color: the icy bright blues or the gorgeous greens. But there is another condition referred to as Sectoral Heterochromia, which is a Heterochromia.
It is a condition where one part of the iris is a different color than the majority. For example, it could be blue eyes with a brown spot, blue eyes with gold flecks, or brown eyes with gold flecks.
Depigmentation on a Stunning Model
Winnie Harlow was born with a condition called skin depigmentation. Her looks are truly one of a kind and extremely memorable. She rose to fame for appearing in America’s Next Top Model and has modeled for Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret.
The depigmentation of skin parts around her nose, mouth, and chin makes her a unique model. Skin depigmentation refers to a genetic condition with a loss of color or pigments from the skin. It is not an appealing look for many women, but Winnie Harlow has brought a different sense of fascination and adoration towards people with similar skin conditions.
Eye of the Storm
An anonymous Reddit user posted an image of an unusual genetic disorder with a kind of lesion on their iris. It looks look like a scar crossing from the center of the iris to the outer perimeter and it’s an extraordinary genetic condition.
So far, the anonymous user has explained that there has never been any negative effect of the condition on their vision. In terms of how the eye functions with this condition, an optometrist has explained that there’s nothing medically wrong with the eye scar.
A Lovely Mix of Everything
Sometimes, some people are born with just one particular genetic condition, while others, like Ilka Brühl, are born with multiple genetic abnormalities. She does not have a conventional appearance, but she somehow still emanates a certain kind of loveliness from her looks.
She was born with a facial cleft, her nose airways were not developed correctly, and her tear ducts are not the same size. Different sized tear ducts mean that tears only flow out of one eye when she cries. Regardless of those conditions, she is now a very popular model.
Redefining What Long Legs are
A Swedish model named La Ostergren was born with a pair of legs that have a length of 40 inches. This is a unique genetic condition, but it has somehow helped skyrocket her modeling career.
As a teenager, Ostergren admitted that she was always bullied because of her height and skinny legs, which left her feeling depressed for many years. But by doing sports like bodybuilding, she accepted her physical features and has now made the most out of them by developing a great modeling career.
More Curious Cat Eyes
The first documented case of the Cat Eye syndrome was in 1899, and ever since, it has been seen around the world. The genetic condition is derived from a distinctive ocular abnormality known as a coloboma, which appears as an aperture or gap in the iris below the pupil. The elongated pupil resembles a cat’s.
A child from Nepal with this syndrome was photographed with a stunning pair of almond-shaped eyes and cat-like pupils. As stunning as it may look, a severe version of the condition can cause vision impairment.
The Famous Melanin Goddess
A lady named Khoudia Diop is a Senegalese model with a skin tone that is just out of this world. It is so unique that she has been given the nickname “Melanin Goddess.” In her home country of Senegal, her skin color is not unusual, but her extremely dark complexion has caused her to become a victim of bullies and harassment at a young age.
It did not end too badly for her, however, as her genetic condition has made her an extremely well-known model worldwide. A professor of anthropology who has measured skin pigmentation around the world determined that people from Senegal and the islands of Micronesia have some of the darkest skin tones in the world.
Lashes We Can Only Dream Of
One genetic condition called Distichiasis causes two rows of eyelashes to grow together at the same lid. Many women nowadays go for eyelash extensions as part of a beauty regime, but those diagnosed with Distichiasis already have genetics and nature as their beautician.
From a medical standpoint, Distichiasis is an acquired and abnormal condition where the eyelashes rise from the orifice meibomian glands on the posterior lamella of the eyelid margin. This is a genetic condition many would be jealous of.
A Cinnamon Roll Belly Button
When people say Cinnamon Roll, they think of pastry. But there is a genetic condition referred to as Cinnamon Roll in which the belly button is shaped like the actual pastry.
Those with this genetic condition give their belly buttons a perfect spiral look, and it is very much a unique pattern on a belly button. The formation is partly caused by the umbilical cord scar when it closes, but having it formed in a spiral form is genetic.
A Streak of Hair
Streaking is an extraordinary line of different hair colors in between the primary color of the hair. It is medically referred to as Poliosis, and people who have this condition could have streaks of different colors on any facial hair, not just on the hair.
Normally, people with this condition are mistaken for going to a hair salon and getting highlights in their hair. But when it appears in the eyebrows or eyelashes, it becomes noticeably more significant as a genetic condition.
David Bowie’s Famous Eyes
Bowie Eyes or Anisocoria is a congenital disease in which one pupil functions properly while the other remains frozen in the same condition at all times. The condition is caused by unequal pupil size, and that is primarily genetic.
The effects of this condition can be more social as they can make someone appear emotionless. The nickname comes from famous musician David Bowie having this condition, who got it due to a school fight rather than any genetics.
Unique Lobster Claw Feet
Lobster Claw Hand or Split Hand/Leg Malformation is a very distinctly genetic condition due to the mutation on chromosome 7. The condition can be characterized by the absence of certain fingers and toes that gives a claw-like appearance.
Aside from that, webbing of fingers and toes might also be formed for those who suffer from this condition. They are supposed to have a digit, the ones diagnosed with this genetic condition have a cleft instead, and there is a one in 90,000 chance of occurrence.