Woman, 59, undergoes astonishing procedure to destroy hundreds of tumors covering her face
A 59-year-old woman who has faced lifelong bullying from cruel internet trolls over the hundreds of tumors covering her face will soon undergo life-changing surgery to transform her appearance.
Annetjie de Wit from Pretoria, South Africa, has long been afraid to go outside, for fear of what people would say about her face. Her face is covered in wounds caused by a rare genetic skin condition.
Mrs De Wit suffers from neurofibromatosis, a disease that affects 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 5,000 people and in which benign tumours grow along the nerves of the skin.
She described a ‘difficult’ childhood, in which children asked her if she had leprosy and called her “hideous.”
Annetjie de Wit has been a victim of bullying her entire life, with people calling her “ugly.” Now, she has been given the chance to treat the symptoms of her genetic condition, which causes sores on her face.
As an adult, she decided to quit her job after a colleague insulted her, leading to crippling insecurity.
But now, Mrs. De Wit nightmare is almost over.
While there is no medication or treatment that can completely cure her chronic condition, aesthetic treatments can improve the appearance of the growths on her skin.
She has been chosen as a candidate for a TV show that helps patients like her by offering them transformative medical treatments.
She is currently undergoing intensive laser therapy with private beautician Dr. Riekie Smit to burn away the unsightly lesions.
Dr Smit said: ‘Annetjie’s treatment consists of a laser ablation procedure to burn off the lesions, combined with radiofrequency with needles to remove the deep tissue at the site where the lesions originate.
“We try to make most of the lesions smaller and the lesions that don’t respond are surgically removed.”
She remembers being asked as a child if she had leprosy and why her sister had beautiful skin while she looked “so horrible.”
The 59-year-old is now undergoing laser treatment to remove the growths from her face
According to Dr. Smit, about 80 percent of the tumors will have been destroyed or significantly shrunk by November.
Mrs De Wit talks about her battle with the disease: ‘(Growing up) I didn’t really have any friends.
‘I wanted so badly for someone to tell me I was pretty, or that they liked me, or that there was a boy who wanted to kiss me like the other girls.
‘But who would want to kiss me? I’ve tried all kinds of medicines, but nothing helped.
‘My mother spent a fortune on beauty products to hide the lesions, but they didn’t really help either.
The treatment is expected to improve the appearance of Mrs. De Wit’s skin by 80 percent.
‘I accepted it and thought there was nothing we could do about it anyway.
‘I became a hermit because it was not pleasant to go out, even to go shopping.
“Do you know how it feels when people stare at you? It’s not nice at all.”
Desperate for a solution, she signed up for the makeover programme Dr Nou! earlier this year after seeing an advert calling for participation.
“I thought, let me apply and then we’ll see what happens. I had nothing to lose,” said Mrs. De Wit. “I didn’t even think I would be shortlisted.”
She can’t wait to show her new face in public.
“I’m actually a social butterfly, a people person,” she said. “I like to chat, even if it doesn’t seem like it.
‘When December comes, I’m going to the stores myself to do my Christmas shopping! I can’t wait.’