20 Awesome People With Unique Genetic Traits

Everyone is unique in their own little way. However, these amazing people truly stand out in a crowd for their awesome genetic traits. From stunning birthmarks that are passed on from parent to child to having the ability to mimic the iconic Facehugger in Alien, these individuals can make the rest of us truly feel like we’re missing out on some special abilities.

In the past, people who have certain genetic traits are usually singled out in society. Luckily, times have changed in recent years. Individuals are now encouraged to embrace their physical traits so other people can understand their condition. Here are 20 awesome people with truly unique genetic traits.

#1 My Friend’s Newborn Baby Was Born With The Same Birthmark In Her Hair As Her Mother

There’s a good reason why this gorgeous duo both have white streaks in their hair. Unlike most birthmarks, they share a birthmark in their hairline.

The condition is called Poliosis and results in the absence of melanin on any hairy part of the body. This unique birthmark can be inherited, or be caused by autoimmune destruction of the pigment cells at the base of the hair.

#2. My Friend’s Iris Is Split In Half

Is she wearing two-toned contact lenses? This person actually has heterochromia iridis, a genetic variation that manifests in multicolored eyes.

The dual coloring is caused by an excess or lack of melanin resulting from genetics, disease or an injury. The perfect split you see in the image below is called sectoral heterochromia and occurs when there are two different colors in the same iris. There is a dominant color and then a splash of the second one.

#3. My Dad Has 6 Fingers On Each Hand. He Uses 2 Fingers To Flip Someone Off

Here’s a man with an enviable trait. He has polydactyly, a condition that results in additional digits.

The man’s thumbs are there and just would not bend at the knuckle, but are fully formed and can be moved at the base of the fingers. Polydactyly runs in his family, too. Both him and his son had 12 fingers and 12 toes, although his boy had surgery when he was young.

#4. Ulnar Dimelia Or Mirror Hand Syndrome

No, that’s not an X-ray of the Facehugger from the horror film Alien. This person has ulnar dimelia, a congenital deformity where the thumb is absent, the ulna is duplicated, and there are seven or eight fingers in the hand.

The condition is often referred to as “mirror hand syndrome.” It is so rare that less than 100 cases have been reported in medical literature.

#5. My GF Was Born Without A Nail On A Finger. So Due To Popular Demand, We Put Google Eyes On It

That’s a fun way to deal with this condition. Anonychia congenita is a genetic condition that can affect the fingernails and toenails. People with this abnormality are usually missing all of their nails but in some cases (hyponychia) only some fingernails or a partial nails are missing.

Those affected by anonychia congenita do not have any other health conditions as a result of their condition. They might, however, run out of googly eyes to put on the unique digit.

#6. My Son Was Born With Natural Elf Ears

They could have named him Spock. Stahl’s ear (also called Spock’s ear for all the Star Trek fans out there) is an ear deformity that results in a pointy ear shape as well as an extra cartilage fold.

This abnormality is the result of a misshapen cartilage. However, when found in the first weeks of an infant’s life, ear molding is a viable treatment.

#7. I Was Born Ready For This

This person may have been waiting for this card for their whole life. It’s also awesome to see that they have a great sense of humor.

Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, this person says they used to wrestle and since it was required that opponents shake hands before the first period, it was a great way to throw people off.

#8. I Have Only Four Fingers On My Left Hand And Have And Index Finger Instead Of My Thumb

Symbrachydactyly is a condition where babies are born with an underdeveloped hand which causes them to have small, or in the case of the person below, missing fingers.

Hand malformations are often treated with orthotics, prosthetics, physical therapy or in some cases surgery.

#9. I Was Born With A Scar On My Eye

What’s the coolest scar you have? This person has one in their own eye!
Macular pucker is a scar tissue that formed in the eye’s macula which is located in the retina.

This part of the eye gives the eye sharp vision, so this condition can cause blurred and distorted vision. Macular puckers occur when the vitreous of the eye ( a gel-like substance on its interior) pulls away from the retina.

#10. My Son Has Symmetrical Hair Whorls Which Go In Opposite Directions. This Allows Him To Grow A Natural Mohawk

How cool is that? A hair whorl is a patch of hair that grows in a circular clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Most of us only get one in our head.

This hair abnormality has been studied by behaviorists to see if there is a genetic link between handedness and whirl direction, but nothing absolutely conclusive has been found.

#11. My Left Eye Is About 1/3 Grey

Here’s another cool eye, thanks to sectoral heterochromia. In this condition, a difference in coloration of the iris when only part of it has a different color from its remainder. It may be inherited, or caused by genetic mosaicism, chimerism, disease, or injury.

#12. Half Of The Eyelashes On My Right Eye Are White

How did this happen? When this person was 11, they woke up one morning to some of their eyelashes white. It happened overnight.

It was only a very small section at first but it’s now over half of the eyelashes on this eye. It affects both top and bottom lashes, and they occasionally get one or two white hairs in their eyebrow. It’s a condition called Vitiligo and it occurs when your immune system is weak in a specific area, causing the color pigmentation to ‘drain’ out of the skin, or in their case, eyelashes.

#13. My Dad’s Index Tip Was Cut Off When He Was 10, My Index Is Shorter Than My Pinky

This is truly amazing. However, this case would require more scientific study. According to research as of now acquired characteristics are non-heritable characteristics of a living creature and that includes injuries and accidents.

One possible explanation for this short index finger? A hand abnormality.

#14. My Wife Discovered That She And My Sister Both Have Syndactyly Connected Toes. They Celebrated Their Similar Trait With New Tattoos

Scientifically, this condition is known as syndactyly. However, it’s commonly referred to as webbed toes, even though it applies to both fingers and toes.

Common in the animal kingdom, this condition is rarer among humans. Statistically, there’s one baby with webbed toes in 2000-2500 births.

#15. I Have Tentacles Under My Tongue- Apparently Not Everyone Does?

This person is not an alien. These are what are called fimbriated folds of the tongue or plica frimbriata. The tentacle-like flaps occur when the folds that go alongside the frenulum (the tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) have small growths or skin tags on them.

They are mostly harmless and sometimes very surprising. However, they do have the potential to get stuck in your teeth.

#16. I Was Born With 6 Toes On My Left Foot And My Co-Worker Was Born With 4 Toes On Her Right Foot

Six toes is a very common birth defect called Hexadactyly, which literally translates to six digits. This condition usually manifests as an extra finger or toe on the side of the toes or in between.

Extra digits are usually harmless and can be removed easily but in other cases can be the side effect of a more serious condition.

#17. I Was Born Without A Bridge In My Nose

It appears that the person has a so-called depressed nasal bridge, which can occur due to various conditions. The most commonly encountered congenital syndromes with a depressed nasal bridge in the pediatric orthopaedic practice are cleidocranial dysplasia, children with neurodevelopmental delay, achondroplasia, Conradi-Hünermann-Happle syndrome, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, and Klippel-Feil syndrome.

Interestingly enough, this unique feature has its perks. The person who posted the photo said that his nose never bleeds.

#18. I Was Born With A Condition Where My Right Thumb Is Unable To Bend

Trigger finger is a condition that is found in one or more tendons of the hand. The tendon that allows the thumb to flex is too swollen and locks.

Eventually, the thumb completely locks and is unable to bend at all. This condition is present in 3.3 per 1000 live births.

#19. My Daughter Was Born With A Perfect Number 2 On Her Head

Bizarre birthmarks open the doors to myths, legends, and folklore. In some cultures, it’s believed that birthmarks represent your past life, in others – that gods have marked the baby as the chosen one to accomplish colossal deeds.

In this case, as the parents of this baby joked, it’s their first kid, so the number 2 might represent that the baby was supposed to have a twin, which she ate.

#20. My Little Finger Is My Biggest Finger

What does it mean when your “little finger” is larger than the rest? Macrodactyly is a rare condition that causes an individual to have one or more fingers or toes that are much larger than the others.

The exact cause is unknown but some believe it comes from an abnormal nerve or blood supply.

The world is truly filled with unique people with some special genetic traits. If you notice that you look a different from most people, embrace your individuality.