Chandra Wisnu, The 'Bubble Skin Man' Of Indonesia

Chandra Wisnu, the Indonesian man known as the "Bubble Skin Man," has spent the last 25 years trying to find a cure for the bizarre condition that caused bubble-like tumors to erupt on his body.

Now, at last,he may have found the cause, thanks to Maryland-based dermatologist Anthony Gaspari, and while no cure exists, he may be able to improve his quality of life.

Gaspari flew to Indonesia to examine Wisnu and his family.

The diagnosis: an extreme case of Neurofibromatosis type I (NF-1), a tumor disorder that is caused by a gene malfunction and causes non-cancerous lumps.

The disease is genetic and affects up to one in 2500 people. Joseph "John" Merrick, better known as the "Elephant Man," was said to have suffered from this condition.

The lumps first appeared on Wisnu when he was 19, spread to his back by age 24 and covered his entire body by the time he was 32.

The 58-year-old Indonesian man has been going to doctors and alternative healers for years. However, until now he had been unable to find out the cause of the tumors -- or to get relief from the itching.

"One alternative healer cut out fatty tissue and told my father to bury it under a banana tree," Wisnu said on "Bubble Skin Man," a documentary  on TLC.

"There was no improvement."