A woman who was told by a stranger that she looked like she’d been mauled by a gorilla due to her rare skin condition has had the last laugh – by being invited to model for Vogue.
Lucy Beall-Lott, 21, originally from Texas but now a student at St Andrews University in Scotland, has recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
The condition means any friction against her skin can cause it to shed, leaving painful blisters and wounds.
Her most recent operation involved having skin from her leg grafted on to her hands to try to resolve the mittening caused by excessive scar tissue, which had left her right hand unusable.
Lucy says she tried to hide her body growing up and was asked by strangers if she had been in a horrific accident or mauled by a gorilla.
But she now models to raise awareness of her condition and show that disability doesn’t have to stand in the way of beauty.
The student was thrilled to be invited by Vogue Italia to feature in its “I Am The Woman I Am” campaign.
Lucy said: “I could see my scars as something I’m fighting against or I could see my body as something working to keep me alive – which is better?”
