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“40 Years Of Hiding These”: 85 Surprising Body Features That Make People Stand Out
The human body is pretty amazing, and I mean that in the true sense of the word: it’s both impressive and, at times, genuinely surprising. It’s easy to take that for granted, forgetting that our bodies aren’t just what we see on the outside, but a complex, interconnected network of cells, tissues, organs and bones working together in ways we don’t always understand.
It’s just as easy to forget that beyond the obvious differences in how we look, we’re all unique in ways we might never expect—that is, until someone shows off a “party trick” like touching their nose with their tongue. (I pretty much made this my unofficial life mission after watching my grandmother do it.) Some of these quirks are more common than others, but some are the kind of anomalies you’d rarely come across, and those are exactly what this list is about.
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#1
I Have Vitiligo & Heterochromia
I was born with Heterochromia & developed Vitiligo when I was around 8-9 years old. I used to hate living with both conditions, but have learned to embrace & love my appearance.
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#3
My Niece Has 6 Fingers On Both Hands
Looking through this list, you’d be excused for thinking your body is hardly unique. After all, how many of us can say we have a whole extra set of teeth, a naturally forked tongue, or a mysterious spot that glows under UV light? But that doesn’t mean your body is anything less than one of a kind. In fact, as Dr. Sermed Mezher reminds us, each of us has differences that “manifest in our genetic makeup, cognitive processes, emotional responses, life experiences, and even in the microscopic communities of bacteria that live within us.”
#5
My Sister Is A Ginger And Has Heterochromia. A Genetic Masterpiece!
#6
I Was Born With One Of The Rarest Forms Of Belly Buttons In The World
Laugh or not 4 hours ago
You are not born with a belly button. The form of the belly button depends of the cut of the ombilical cord.
That first one—genetic makeup—might seem pretty obvious. You only need to have watched a single episode of CSI to know that DNA can be pretty useful for distinguishing one person from another. But did you know that, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, any two people’s genomes—complete sets of DNA instructions found in every cell—are typically around 99.6% identical? Don’t let that seemingly small 0.4% margin fool you, though.
#7
My Child That Was Born Last Week Has Natural Blonde Highlights
Purple Gurl 5 hours ago
Hopefully they don't fade out. They will never need a color appointment.
#8
I Was Born Without Finger Or Toe Prints
#9
Feet With No Toe Nails
UnclePanda 4 hours ago
Is this available as an upgrade? My toenails are getting farther away and my arms aren't getting any longer.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, humans show considerable genetic variation, with no two people—apart from identical twins—being genetically identical. Most of these genetic differences have little or no noticeable effect, but some contribute to differences in physical appearance, aspects of personality and susceptibility to disease. And genetic differences can also influence more than what we can see or easily measure. As Dr. Mezher explains, “These genetic differences” can also influence “how we metabolize food, and how we perceive the world around us.”
#10
My Hands After A Couple Hours In The Cold Due To Thoracic Outlet Syndrome And Functional Acrocyanosis
#11
I Have A Birth Defect That Makes Me Unable To Bend My Thumbs
#12
I See Your Single Webbed Finger And Raise You Both Hands
While genetic differences might account for some of the anomalies on this list, it’s worth remembering that all of our bodies are perhaps even stranger than we often realize. Much of what happens inside us is hidden from view: many of our cells are constantly being replaced, electrical signals are firing, and bone is continually being broken down and rebuilt. We rarely give any of this a second thought because, as Cris Tolomia, writing for Quartz, puts it, “that smoothness is the trick. The body only draws attention to itself when something goes wrong, so the ordinary state of being alive tends to hide the parts that are genuinely peculiar.”
#13
My Hairy Legs
#15
I Have (Almost) No Eye Colour
Debby Keir 5 hours ago
It's not the 'eye colour' that's the odd thing - it's the coloboma (misshapen) pupil
And maybe that’s part of what makes the human body so fascinating: what we consider “ordinary” is often really just the version of it we happen to experience every day, and no two people’s ordinary looks quite the same. In that sense, although some of the anomalies featured on this list might be pretty rare, they’re part of a bigger picture. The human body is full of quirks, variations and peculiarities, many of which we simply go through life without noticing.
#17
Webbed Toes - After 40 Years Of Hiding These… Ive Decided To Reveal!
#18
My Left Hand Is Missing A Finger As It Was What Formed My Thumb
And so, while most of us only have eight fingers, two thumbs and ten toes, we each have our own unique traits—maybe a lopsided smile, an oddly shaped ear, or a tongue that reaches the tip of our nose. Because being different, it seems, isn’t the exception; it’s the rule. It’s just that noticing it sometimes requires a closer look.
#19
This Is A Condition Called Hyperdontia
#21
I Have An Extra Tooth On The Roof Of My Mouth!
#22
Eye After Retinal Detachment Surgery. The Surgeon Had To Cut The Iris Which Resulted In A Permanent Fixed Pupil And Hole In The Iris. The Orange Blob Is Light Reflecting Through The Hole Off The Back Off The Eye
#24
My Blood Vessels Pick Up More Dirt
#25
This Patch Of White Hair We Somehow Just Found On My Head Today At Only 20 Years Old
#26
My Boyfriend Has These Swirls On Both Sides Of His Neck
#27
My Sons Hair Is Half Straight Half Curly Almost Down The Middle
#28
My Vitiligo Hair. The White Hair Contains No Pigment
#29
I Have Fraternal Thumbs, 1 From Each Parent Due To A Genetic Mutation On My Dads Side (Unilateral Brachydactyly Type D)
Anna Losonczy 8 hours ago
I have the same weird thumb, but only on my right hand. :D My aunt and I have this in our family.
#31
My Hair Strand That Turned Gray Halfway Then Got Its Color Back
#32
Got Into A Bubble Bath That Was Too Hot And My Fingernails Made A Gradient
#33
My Skin Shed Like Snakes
#34
The Hair On My Body Grows In 3's
#35
Human Eye With True Polycoria (Multiple Pupils)
#36
My Pupils Became Asymmetrical During A Cluster Headache
#38
My Sister-In-Law’s Eyes Are 2 Different Colors, And Her Right Pupil Is Shaped Like A Cat’s Eye
#39
Even Though All The Hair On My Body Is Black, My Mustache And Beard Are Red
#41
This Kid That Goes To My School Has An Extra Finger On His Right Hand
nut nibbler 9 hours ago
OK I'll admit it, I am wondering which finger they use to give someone the middle finger.
#42
I Have An Eye Freckle
#43
I Have Dermatographia Which Means I Can ‘Draw’ On My Skin
Elladine DesIsles 15 hours ago
This occurs sometimes as an isolated condition, but can also be part of a broader mast cell disorder. This is one of the reasons I am now being assessed for MCAS; yes, I can also write on my skin. It isn't so much a fun party trick in my case, though, as the itching is unbearable, even with a high dose of antihistamines.
#45
Luckily, Is Not The Middle Finger
#47
My Fiance Has A Spot That Glows Green Under UV Light
#48
The Bits I Found On My Tongue The Other Day
#50
How My Vitiligo Changes From The Winter To The Summer
#51
We Call It His Spare Brain
#52
My Crooked Index Finger, Thought I Should Leave It Here
#54
I've Never Seen A Newborn Picture Of My Thumb Heart. Welcome To The Thumb Heart Club Little Guy !
#55
Amelogenesis Imperfecta
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 hours ago
My dog Stilgar has this on the few adult teeth that he does have, due to having the distemper virus as a puppy. For some reason, one of the things that the distemper virus "attacks" is tooth enamel. His puppy teeth were normal, but his adult teeth were not. Very few actually "formed" and erupted normally (he has maybe 7-10?) and they all lack enamel. They all looked brown/discolored from the moment they erupted. He also has neurological and mobility issues from distemper, but he survived, he has no idea he is disabled, and he can still eat just fine! Sometimes his tongue flops out of his mouth because he lacks the teeth to hold it in (see photo in comment below.) We do have to keep an eye on his teeth because the lack of enamel makes them more fragile than normal teeth; I imagine OP has to do the same.
#56
My Thumb Nail Has A Ribbed Texture
#59
I Can Bend My Toes Back To My Foot
#60
My Grandpas Cool Eye
#62
My Full Body Allergic Rash “Went Around” All My Tattoos
#63
My Beard Grows 1/4 Orange And Is Split At Pretty Much The Middle Of My Chin (Even Extends Up To My Bottom Lip)
#65
I Have A Patch On My Leg With An Abnormal Amount Of Hair
#66
My Fingers Turn Pale Sometimes
#67
Went To The Dentist Today, I Already Have All My Adult Teeth But Turns Out I Have A Bonus Tooth
StarCrossedFriday 7 hours ago
I could do with some bonus teeth...why can't we be more like sharks? Or at least have a third set that comes through in middle age?
#68
I Have 7 Wisdom Teeth
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 hours ago
I had 7 as well! I had them removed when I was a teenager. My dental surgeon made a joke about how I would have been deád by age 25 if I was born in a time before modern dental surgery XD He said 7 was the most he had personally seen in a person. I opted for full anesthesia and NOT a local during removal surgery XD
#72
Sometimes My Veins Are Sunken Instead Of Raised
#73
Husband’s Reaction At The Gym When His Body Temp Goes Up Too Quickly
#74
This Patch On My Skin Never Tans/Burns. I’ve Had It Since I Was Born!
#75
I Can Touch My Pinky And Ring Finger To My Wrist
#76
The Only White Hair In My Body Is Growing On My Eyebrow, And It's Pretty Big Compared To The Other Hairs
Sara Frazer 13 hours ago (edited)
Ah. I get one of these randomly in my right eyebrow. Long, wispy and thin, like a head hair. Very silver. I do have a gray patch on top my head, but this one long hair that randomly appears, seemingly all at once, bothers me. I actually welcome my gray hairs on my head, but that eyebrow hair, so physically different than usual eyebrow hairs...?? What are you doing there?!! °~°
#79
My Friend's Skin Graft After Healing
#81
The Scar On My Hand, From A Skin Transplant From My Upper Arm, Gets More Tanned Than The Rest
#82
I Have Hereditary Angioedema, Which Causes My Body Parts To Spontaneously Swell At Times (Left Is Normal, Right Is Swollen)
#83
My Hair Got Darker During Pregnancy
#84
Dark Tan Line Showed Up On My Thumb Nail, Won’t Go Away
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