The world is a wide and wonderful place, but its also full of hidden dangers and maladies that’d you’d never even expect. I try to watch my blood pressure and limit my starch intake, not for any particular reason. I mean, why wait for starch to be a problem?

I’d like to think I have all my cards in order, but then Liang Xiuzhen of Sichuan, China comes along to rock my world. She has taught me a valuable lesson that no matter how well you prepare for the future, you might still end up with an actual 13-centimeter (5-inch) by 6-centimeter (2-inch) horn growing out of your head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4f6VGAQykQ

The 87-year-old’s horn started off as a simple mole on the top of her head, but over a period of about two years it steadily grew into the protrusion we now see. It’s known as a “cutaneous horn” and is made up of keratin which is the substance that makes our hair and fingernails. It is also the substance which makes up the horn in other non-human animals as well, meaning that this is not just a horn-shaped tumor; it’s pretty much an actual horn.

The cause of these horns is not well-understood, but like other tumors radiation such as that from sunlight is believed to play a role. Luckily for Ms. Liang, only about a fifth of these types of growths are found to be cancerous and because it is made of keratin it can be sliced off rather painlessly.

However, her family is concerned the procedure would put too much strain on her already frail body. Also, the sheer size of this horn may be a strong indication of an underlying issue for which Ms. Liang would require treatment.

As for the rest of you, don’t forget to get any suspicious mole or lesion you find checked out. You literally never know what will become of it…

Source: Zaeega (Japanese)
Image & Video: YouTube – Daily Video