Zara,
originally from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was given a free facelift
after a doctor heard of her condition, and she said the results have
given her a new lease on life.
She inherited lipodystrophy - which
makes her skin looked wrinkled and twisted - from her mother Tracey
Gibson who also suffers from the illness.
But after hearing of her condition, a
top surgeon in the US offered to perform cosmetic surgery for free. It
has proved to be a complete success and Zara has felt able to start a
relationship with new boyfriend Ricky Andrews and is even keen to go to
college.
By the time she was 12, Zara was
already being mistaken for a middle-aged woman - and was even mistaken
for 17-year-old sister Chloe's mother.
She said: "Before I had surgery I was picked on for looking different, now I look the same as other girls my age.
"I don't feel like people are staring at me when I walk down the street anymore. I finally feel like a teenager.
"I've carried some hurtful comments with me all my life but now I feel ready to leave the past behind and forgive and forget."
Her newfound self-assurance has helped
her start a relationship with apprentice painter and decorator Ricky,
22, three months ago, who she met through friends.
She said: "I've had boyfriends in the
the past but I don't think any accepted my condition, really. But with
Ricky it's never been an issue."
