A local hospital received a strange case recently when a young woman with a "lion face" showed up looking for help.

The woman's face gradually began to deform over the past two years, and her body also became shorter.

After doctors in the her hometown failed to ascertain the cause, the woman headed to Shanghai No.9 People’s Hospital.

Doctors found she suffered a rare medical condition called leontiasis ossea, also known as Lion Face Syndrome, which is characterized by the overgrowth of the facial and cranial bones. It is not a disease per se, but the symptom of other conditions.

The woman’s lion face syndrome was caused by a parathyroid problem, which led to excessive secretion due to complications because of high levels of urea in her blood, doctors said.

Doctors at Shanghai No.9 carried out surgery to remove the patient’s parathyroid. She will undergo further surgery to reconstruct her facial bones and regain her original appearance in about three months, the hospital said.

The woman's face before (the first from the right) and after suffering Lion Face Syndrome.