Woman with two skin colors reveals the truth about this 'chimera' condition
After medical expert's diagnosis, she was saddened by the realization that she could've gone through life with a twin sibling.
American singer and model Taylor Muhl is one of around 100 people to have a rare condition, called chimerism, due to which she surprisingly has two sets of DNA.
In her official blog, Muhl wrote about her condition and about how she discovered that she was her own twin.
The singer and model always was a unique individual because of the rare birthmark that gave her two different kinds of skin pigmentation, which goes splitting straight down the middle of her torso.
The rare condition occurs in cases of twin pregnancy, where one unborn child absorbs the cells of another sibling in the womb, which might have miscarried. This leads the first unborn child to take some of the genes of their twin.
In most cases, the condition can go completely unnoticed. However, Muhl began to realize that there were considerable differences between the two sides of her body.
“Everything on the left side of my body is slightly larger than the right side,” she accounted on her blog. She added, “I have a double tooth in the left side of my mouth and many sensitivities and allergies to foods, medications, supplements, jewelry and insect bites.”
She then went to the expert to talk about her condition. She was then told that she is a chimera and has two different immune systems as well as two bloodstreams in her body.
Dr. Sean Nasseri, a Harvard Medical School graduate, told her that the different color pigmentation is her twin's genetic makeup, she disclosed on her blog.
In a statement with People, Muhl revealed how this discovery was shocking as well as saddening for her. She admitted that she despaired the fact that she "could've gone through life with a twin."
Muhl also revealed in her blog that her chimerism has also led her to suffer from autoimmune and health challenges.