World Guinness Records

Stretchiest Skin

WHO:

Garry Turner

WHAT:

15.8 cm (6.25 in)

WHERE:

Los Angeles, California, USA

WHEN:

October 29, 1999

Garry Turner, of Caistor, Lincolnshire, England, stretched the skin of his stomach to a distended length of 15.8 cm (6.25 in) on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime in Los Angeles, California, USA, on October 29, 1999. Garry has a rare medical condition called Elhers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder of the connective tissues affecting the skin, ligaments and internal organs. With this condition, the collagen that strengthens the skin and determines its elasticity becomes defective, resulting in, among other things, a loosening of the skin, and "hypermobility" of the joints. In more serious cases, it can cause the fatal collapse or rupturing of blood vessels.