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Elizabeth Michael@lizzieclickie·Aug 17, 2026

THE MAN WITH TREE SKIN

Dede Koswara from Indonesia. In 2008 he got a small cut on his foot. Normal. But his body couldn’t fight a rare virus. So warts started growing. *They looked exactly like tree bark and tree roots.* They grew 2 inches per year on his han…

Dede Koswara from Indonesia. In 2008 he got a small cut on his foot. Normal. But his body couldn’t fight a rare virus. So warts started growing. *They looked exactly like tree bark and tree roots.* They grew 2 inches per year on his hands and feet. *Why he looked that way:* He had a super rare immune problem. The virus made his skin grow like wood. Doctors did 16 surgeries to remove 13 pounds of "bark". It went viral. People called him "Tree Man". The true part: His immune system was missing 1 gene. That’s it. 1 tiny gene changed how he looked forever. © Elizabeth F. Aji
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