12-Year-Old Girl with Wrinkled Face Is Cruelly Called ‘Granny’ — She Looks ‘Gorgeous’ after Face Surgery Years Later

• Zara Hartshorn was mistaken for a woman in her forties at 12 years old.
• She suffers from a condition called lipodystrophy which she inherited from her mother.
• After plastic surgery and years of being bullied, she accepted her disease and wants to help others living with it lead a free and normal life.

Zara Hartshorn from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was mistaken for a woman in her forties and fifties when she was 12.

Hartshorn suffers from a rare genetic condition called lipodystrophy, where the body does not produce or maintain healthy fat tissue, which causes premature wrinkling. She inherited the disease from her mother, Tracey Gibson, who was also mistaken for a pensioner in her forties.

Gibson is a mother of seven, and three of them have this genetic condition; however, Hartshorn’s symptoms are more severe.

Life for the mother and daughter has not been easy. They have been called names, bullied, and tormented for their condition.

Hartshorn’s childhood was difficult because she was already mistaken for a middle-aged woman before she reached her teenage years.

She confessed that other children tortured, kicked, and called her “granny” and “monkey.” So, Hartshorn and Gibson went to a lipodystrophy expert at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre.

But the mother and daughter were met with bad news. The doctor discovered that Gibson and Hartshorn suffered from a rare condition called Cutis Laxa. Even though Cutis Laxa had the same symptoms as lipodystrophy, it had more life-threatening effects on the lungs, heart, and arteries.

The news was far from what Hartshorn and Gibson hoped for, but at the time, Hartshorn was 16 and cared more about her appearance than her declining health. Another doctor from the United States approached the then-16-year-old and offered to give her a facelift free of charge.

The surgery worked wonders, with Hurston feeling more confident about herself. The positive results from her surgery also inspired Gibson to do the same.

The mother of seven also received a face and neck lift and Botox injections and felt terrific afterward. Gibson had previously tried to get help from the National Health Services (NHS) in England but was denied because her surgery was considered cosmetic and not medical.

However, that was not how Gibson felt since she had already suffered huge self-esteem issues and grew up with people also calling her “granny” and “monkey.” She added, “All my life, and when I look at old pictures now, I think I looked like the dragon off Shrek.”

After years of bullying, she finally felt empowered. The mother of seven said, ‘I feel like I’m having the last laugh now at everyone who called me names, and it’s a massive boost.”

Internet users were also empathetic but loved the results of Hartshorn’s surgery. People wished the procedure would bring a sense of normalcy into her life.

Even though Hartshorn looked old, users remarked that she had beautiful smooth skin, and her blue eyes popped even more with her facelift.

Credit was also given to the plastic surgeon, with YouTube users saying that the procedure looked natural and did not completely restructure Hartshorn’s face. “She looked like a beautiful young woman, and I am really happy the surgery worked out well for her!” continued the user.

The significant change in Hartshorn’s face and how much she beamed from her impressive results even left some watchers emotional.

Life was great when Hartshorn returned from the States after her surgery. She got into a relationship and fell pregnant but unfortunately suffered a miscarriage and broke up with her partner.

Four years after her surgery, Hartshorn’s skin started sagging again due to her Cutis Laxa. But she confessed that she had not visited the doctor since she was diagnosed with Cutis Laxa.

She said she worried about her health only when she thought about it, but most of the time, she kept it on the back burner, which she admitted was not good.

In addition to that, Hartshorn was back to not feeling confident in her skin again. “My facelift has dropped, especially when I smile and don’t like it. It’s horrible; it makes me feel old,” she said.

But despite what felt like a downward spiral in her life, she wanted to enjoy life. Since losing her relationship, Hartshorn was scared to meet new people but wanted to live like a normal 20-year-old.

Her relationship with her family also faded over a feud, so 20-year-old Hartshorn lived with one of her best friends.

Eventually, Hartshorn embarked on her journey of self-acceptance. She gathered the courage to see a doctor and address her Cutis Laxa. She realized she lived in denial and needed to care more for her health, so she got her heart checked and was luckily told that it looked healthy.

It also became clear to Hartshorn that she was born different, and there was nothing she could do, so her way forward was to accept who she was and empower others who suffered from the same condition.

She reiterated, “I would like to inspire and try to help and reach out to those who are scared to come forward and admit to the world that they have got this illness.”

Hartshorn does not blame anyone for her condition. She does not want to dwell on the negative but instead sees her condition as part of her purpose to help people.

Here’s a story of a woman who was bullied for her burn scars but giving birth to her daughter changed her life for the better.