What is Cutis Laxa?
Your body consists of many areas of connective tissue: from your heart to your lungs to your skin. People with cutis laxa have disorders of the connective tissue, causing normally tight elastic tissue to be loose. An estimated 1 in every 2,000,000 babies has cutis laxa. Cutis laxa is often an inherited condition. However, some people without a family history of cutis laxa develop it later in life. This is known as acquired cutis laxa. How to treat Cutis Laxa? Cosmetic surgery can tighten skin that is loosened due to cutis laxa. These results may last temporarily, as the skin can often loosen again. People with cutis laxa should avoid certain activities, including smoking and excess sun exposure. These can make symptoms worse. How Is Cutis Laxa Diagnosed? A doctor, often a dermatologist, diagnoses cutis laxa. A doctor will start by taking a thorough health history to determine if you have a family history of cutis laxa. Then they’ll perform a physical examination of the skin. Genetic blood testing can determine which type of cutis laxa you have. This can be helpful for couples who wish to conceive and want to know their risks of passing along cutis laxa to a baby. |
What Are the Symptoms of Cutis Laxa?
Symptoms of cutis laxa usually depend upon the exact type of the disorder. The shared symptom is loose, wrinkled skin (elastolysis). Unlike other skin disorders, cutis laxa doesn’t cause easy bruising or scarring. People with cutis laxa also have internal problems, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm. A portion of the aorta enlarges or bulges in people with this condition. Another common symptom is emphysema, in which the lungs don’t function properly. Other symptoms associated with cutis laxa include:
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Story of Cutis Laxa
Imagine being a young 28-year-old woman, a mother to two children, but instead looking like their grandmother.
This is the reality for Hu Juan of Zhengzhou, of Henan province in north-central China.
Hu is the only person in China, and only one of ten people worldwide who suffer from a rare condition called Cutis laxa, which has caused her to age prematurely.
The 28-year-old - who looks more like someone in her 60s or 70s - first noticed the changes after she gave birth to her first child 11 years ago, Shanghai reported.
The condition means the skin on her face and neck has lost its elasticity, causing it to become loose and sag.
It does not affect any other areas of her body, and there is no known treatment or cause for the rare disease.
The disorder has previously plunged her into a deep depression and she once attempted to take her own life. Hu will not look in the mirror and often refuses to leave the house.
Having a second child did nothing to change the condition of her face, as she hoped it may.
The mother of two also said Cutis laxa has caused a rift between her and her eldest son, as he is ashamed she looks so old. Despite this, the woman's husband has reportedly stuck by her side throughout the ordeal.
Last week Hu arrived in Shanghai seeking cosmetic surgery to help alter her appearance to resemble her true age.
Here an expert team has been assembled to help the woman, which includes a ppsychologist
Though optimistic about regaining her youthful looks, doctors said it's too early to say how successful any surgery could be.
This is the reality for Hu Juan of Zhengzhou, of Henan province in north-central China.
Hu is the only person in China, and only one of ten people worldwide who suffer from a rare condition called Cutis laxa, which has caused her to age prematurely.
The 28-year-old - who looks more like someone in her 60s or 70s - first noticed the changes after she gave birth to her first child 11 years ago, Shanghai reported.
The condition means the skin on her face and neck has lost its elasticity, causing it to become loose and sag.
It does not affect any other areas of her body, and there is no known treatment or cause for the rare disease.
The disorder has previously plunged her into a deep depression and she once attempted to take her own life. Hu will not look in the mirror and often refuses to leave the house.
Having a second child did nothing to change the condition of her face, as she hoped it may.
The mother of two also said Cutis laxa has caused a rift between her and her eldest son, as he is ashamed she looks so old. Despite this, the woman's husband has reportedly stuck by her side throughout the ordeal.
Last week Hu arrived in Shanghai seeking cosmetic surgery to help alter her appearance to resemble her true age.
Here an expert team has been assembled to help the woman, which includes a ppsychologist
Though optimistic about regaining her youthful looks, doctors said it's too early to say how successful any surgery could be.