Sara Geurts was just 10 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare skin condition called Dermatosparaxis Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder that inhibits the body's ability to produce collagen. As a consequence, Geurts has skin that wrinkles prematurely and makes her look way beyond her years, but as you can see from these stunning pictures, the model, now 26, is determined to show the world that she has nothing to be ashamed of.
"My skin was my biggest insecurity," she says in the video below. "But now I think it's the most beautiful thing ever. Each imperfection you have is individual to you, and it tells a story about you and who you are, and the struggle and the journey that you have been on."
Originally from Minnesota, Geurts, who now lives in Los Angeles, is on a mission to change the way we think about beauty standards. In 2015 she submitted her story to the Love Your Lines campaign, a project that praises women's imperfections, and her most recent video, produced by Barcroft TV, has so far been viewed almost two million times.
"You're going to meet people who are intimidated by you," she wrote on Instagram recently. "You're different. People don't know how to react or how to accept someone who doesn't follow the crowd... They are not used to someone who doesn't try to fit in -- So instead of bolstering your uniqueness, they'll try and make you feel like you're weird or damaged. I'm here to offer some well earned advice : Screw them."
More info: Instagram
"My skin was my biggest insecurity, but now I think it's the most beautiful thing ever," says Sara Geurts
She has a rare skin condition called Dermatosparaxis Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
EDS is a connective tissue disorder that inhibits the body's ability to produce collagen
As a consequence, Geurts has skin that wrinkles prematurely and makes her look older than she is
But the model, now 26, is determined to show the world that she has nothing to be ashamed of
She's on a mission to change the way we think about beauty standards
"Each imperfection you have is individual to you," she says
"It tells a story about you and who you are, and the struggle and the journey that you have been on"
"You're going to meet people who are intimidated by you"
"You're different. People don't know how to react or how to accept someone who doesn't follow the crowd"
Sara was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 10 years old
It wasn’t until she was 22 or 23 years old that she learned to embrace her wrinkles
"[People will] try and make you feel...weird or damaged. I'm here to offer some well earned advice: Screw them"
