DESPITE being born with an incredibly rare condition that makes her skin crack and shed, Bailey Pretak is redefining beauty standards - by becoming a beauty queen. Bailey, 31, has battled lamellar ichthyosis all her life, a genetic disorder that affects just one in 200,000 people worldwide and has no cure. Ichthyosis prevents the skin from separating cells at a normal rate, causing a dry and scaly appearance to the outer layer. This means Bailey, who resides in Wilcox, Pennsylvania, must exfoliate and moisturise her face, hands and feet on a daily basis, or her skin will peel and leave her in pain. Bailey was bullied as a child and called names like ‘scaly Bailey’ and ‘the contagious girl’. But despite the hardship she faced when growing up, Bailey has reached a point of happiness in her life, winning beauty pageants and leading motivational speeches for those in need.
