This is Zara Hartshorn. She is 16 years old and she has a rare genetic disease which makes her look like an old woman despite her age.

She suffers from a rare genetic disease — it affects only about 2,000 people worldwide — called cutis laxa, which causes the fatty and connective tissues and bones under the skin to deteriorate and can lead to the appearance of extreme premature aging.

She has endured through so much suffering which primarily stems from bullying of her peers. The disease was inherited from her mother who has experienced the same thing.

Her story reached Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, M.D., a lipodystrophy expert in Texas, who provided a correct diagnosis to her and her mother. Her older sister Jolene, 24, also suffers from a less severe form of cutis laxa. Another Texas physician, plastic surgeon Robert Ersek, M.D. offered Hartshorn a free face-lift and rhinoplasty.

She now enjoys her post-surgery look. She may not look her age but she certainly feels more beautiful, especially when her boyfriend, true friends and family say so.