When they started talking about her Amina Ependieva she was an 11-year-old girl, originally from Chechnya. Today she, who is a teenager just a few years older, still looks unique and beautiful.
What makes her special are those two rare genetic conditions that merge in her to form a perfect combination: albinismwhich makes her skin as white as snow and her hair extremely pale, and the heterochromiawhich made her eyes different colors.
Who is Amina Ependieva
Born on December 11, 2008 in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Russia, some sources claim the 15-year-old has lived in that city since birth, while others claim she is originally from Kurchaloy, a small town in the region.
Photos on social media
Photographer Amina Arsakova shared the shots capturing her ethereal splendor for the first time, showing her followers on social networks the young girl and her unique look: “My pursuit of beauty has once again succeeded”.
Photos of the then 11-year-old were posted to Instagram in January 2020 and quickly went viral, receiving over 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Even today, those who come across those images continue to dwell on this extraordinary little girl immortalized by Arsakova, so much so that her reactions to her posts continue to increase.
Despite the admiration, there were those who wondered if he didn’t use it colored contact lenses or if the photographer did not resort to special effects to create its very special look in the.
But while there are also those who feel in awe of the image of this sort of mini Ice Queen (given her pale complexion and white hair), her appearance in real life corresponds in all respects to that of the photos and its beauty is authentic.
The genetic mutations underlying its uniqueness
The young Chechen inherited two genetic mutations at the same time: albinism and heterochromia.
The first involves the absence of melanin (the ‘colour’ pigment) in the skin, hair and iris of the eye, making albino people’s skin particularly white and their hair very light. In contrast, the eyes of people with albinism often appear blue or have a reddish or mauve hue.
Heterochromia is a condition in which the iris of the right eye and the iris of the left eye are different colors. This can occur when one has more melanin than the other. For example, one eye may be brown and the other blue, as is the case with a 15-year-old. This mutation it does not affect vision of a person, but gives them a unique look.
Waardenburg syndrome type 1
Some speculate that Amina Ependieva may also have theWaardenburg syndrome type 1“.
It is another genetic condition, characterized by congenital sensorineural hearing loss, pigment deficiencies of the hair (a white strand in the front center of the head or premature graying), in the eyes (complete or sectoral iridescent heterochromia or bright blue irises), patches of skin depigmentation and a wider space between the inner corners of the eyes.
Other facial features that may be associated with this syndrome include a high nose bridge, flat nose tip, unibrow, small nostrils, and a smooth philtrum.
All of this, however, really makes this very young woman a rare beauty, if not one of a kind.
