THE "TREE MAN" MAKES FULL RECOVERY

A 38-year-old man nicknamed "The Tree Man" and "The Human Coral Reef" has recently recovered from a rare skin condition he's suffered from for the last 25 years. The condition, which caused his whole body to be covered in shell-like growths, started when Lin Tianzhuan of Shuimen, China was only 13:

"It started with a few hard bumps so I tried to apply antibiotics and creams but it didn't get better," he explained. "Instead it just got worse. They grew and grew and soon they were all over my arms and legs, my back and even my head. Ii was as if I was turning to stone and it was terrifying," he says.

Fuzhou Dermatosis Prevention Hospital vice president Dr Liu Yinghong said: "His hands, forearms, feet and calf were covered with these dark brown hard shells, looking like dry branches. The seriousness and long-lasting nature of the disease shocked us."

Fortunately, there's a happy ending to this awful story. Now after a year of treatment and surgery, Tianzhuan has made a full recovery with "just a few discoloured skin patches to show for his horrific condition."

To read more about "The Tree Man," go here.