Yesterday afternoon at the No. 202 PLA Hospital's plastic surgery department, little Siqi's left arm was covered with black hair like a beast. Wang Yang was conducting an examination for her. Reporter Sun Zefeng took the photo. A 10-year-old girl from Anshan has a secret: part of her arms, shoulders, and even her back have skin as dark as a black bear’s, covered with dense black hair... The doctor said this is a rare case of atavism, and the condition is called "beast skin nevus."
The 10-year-old Xiao Siqi has never worn short-sleeved clothes, and she almost never wears skirts. Even the short-sleeved school uniform that was issued to her had its sleeves sewn over by her mother upon her request. She told her classmates that she doesn't like summer, not because she fears the heat but because she claims to be allergic to sunlight and must wear long sleeves.
When Xiao Siqi was born, half of her body was black and hairy. To avoid having her live in a world of pointing fingers as she grew up, when Siqi was only four months old, the family moved to a county more than 20 kilometers away and dared not contact anyone from their village.
Director Wang Yang of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of the No. 202 PLA Hospital conducted a thorough examination on Xiao Siqi. They will operate on this child to completely remove the black skin and hair resembling a beast.
Her left upper arm, shoulder, and back are covered with rough-looking black skin, with dense black hair growing on it. Additionally, there are no fewer than a hundred black moles all over her body, most of which are about the size of a soybean.
Wang Yang said that "beast skin nevus" belongs to atavism, but such a huge one is extremely rare. The cancerous malignancy rate of these melanocytic nevi is approximately 3%-5%. Since Xiao Siqi's black mole covers one-tenth of her total body surface area, the surgery has to be done in three stages. According to Wang Yang's plan, they will use Xiao Siqi's own scalp and back skin, as well as allogeneic dermis, to cover these black areas. Of course, before covering, the black skin needs to be removed first. According to the timeline, it will take at least a year for all the black skin on Xiao Siqi's body to be completely replaced.
Wang Yang explained that the reason for choosing the scalp is that it is the most suitable part of human skin for regeneration. Generally, after taking a layer of scalp, new scalp can regenerate within seven days. However, it is important to note that the scalp taken cannot be too thick, especially not deep enough to reach the hair follicles; otherwise, Xiao Siqi would end up being bald. Removing the black mole requires cutting off a 2-millimeter-thick layer of epidermis, then covering it with a 0.1-millimeter-thick layer of scalp. Due to the small area of the scalp, the surgery needs to be done in several stages.
Wang Yang said, "The incidence rate of common melanocytic nevi is only 3% in the normal population, but cases like Xiao Siqi's are less than one in a thousand." Reporter Sun Zefeng. Share to: Welcome to comment, I want to comment, Weibo recommendation | Today's Weibo hot topics