Brit girl with rare genetic disorder loses her skin 14 times every day

LONDON - A five-year-old British girl suffers from a rare genetic disorder and has to wear bandages all the time because she sheds her skin 14 times a day.

Annabelle Whitehouse from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was diagnosed with Ichthyosis, which has caused the youngster’s skin to turn red, sore and flaky since her birth.

Her parents, Sonia and Paul, smother her in cream four times a day to make the condition bearable for the active youngster.

The couple parents want to ensure she leads as normal a life as possible, which includes attending ballet class and protect their daughter from cruel jibes made by strangers.

“Once when we were on holiday, a taxi driver asked if we had put Annabelle in the microwave. Others have even accused us of allowing her to get badly sunburned,” the Daily Mail quoted Sonia as saying.

Annabelle must have cream applied to her face and hands every 30 inutes because they are exposed to the elements

“At around the age of four she started asking questions. ‘She would say “mummy I want skin like yours” and once she was found hiding in her nursery trying to take off her bandages Sonia said. ‘She said “I want to be like everyone else”. But a child psychologist really did help her and we tell her she’s beautiful,” the caring mom added further.

Annabelle is helping to raise awareness of children’s genetic disorders with the UK children’s charity Jeans for Genes. (ANI)