INSIDE EDITION reports on a genetic condition that has caused one 13-year-old girl to have the appearance of a grandmother.
She has the face of a woman who looks 60. Zara Hartshorn could pass for a grandmother but, incredibly, she's only 13 years old. She's a teenager trapped in the body of an old lady.
"I'm no different to any other girl that's my age," Zara says.
The British teen suffers from a rare genetic condition known as lipodystrophy, which causes the skin to sag and age at an alarming rate. There is no known cure.
Lipodystrophy is an affliction that causes the layer of fatty tissues under the surface of the skin to disappear.
"Lipodystrophy is extraordinarily rare," says pediatrician Dr. Alanna Levine. "It's characterized by a lack of fat tissue underneath the skin. And you see very wrinkly, sunken withdrawn skin."
Zara's 16-year old brother Tommy also has the disease. And so does her mother Tracy. She's only 41, but she already has the wrinkles and sagging skin of a woman in her 60s or 70s.
"You can tell, you know, when people are staring at you," Zara said. "It feels horrible."
When Zara was 5 the impact of her condition was already noticeable.
Lipodystrophy affects just 2,000 people worldwide
