A fantasy fanatic has spent over $35,000 on plastic surgery including laser skin bleaching to become a real-life elf.
A fantasy fanatic has spent over $50,000 ($35,000 USD) on plastic surgery including laser skin bleaching to become a real-life elf.
Luis Padron, 25, from Buenos Ares, Argentina, became obsessed with the world of elves, angels and fantasy beings after being bullied as a child.
He became determined to look like his favourite otherworldly characters and sourced inspiration from films including Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story.
To look more like an elf, Luis started bleaching his hair and skin and now he has a $5,000-a-month ritual applying specialist creams, dyes, treatment and SPF100 sunscreen.
Additionally, he's splashed over $35,000 on surgery including liposuction on his jaw, a rhinoplasty, full body hair removal and operations to change his eye colour.
Luis gets stared at for his unusual look but says he doesn't care what people think and that he won't stop until he has fully transformed into an elf.
He's planning surgery to make his ears pointed, hair implants for a heart-shaped hairline and a limb lengthening op to make him 6ft 5in.
Luis, who sells cosplay merchandise, said: "I want to be an elf, an angel and a fantasy being, my aim is to look inhuman, ethereal, graceful and delicate.
"I have my own beauty ideal and want to achieve that no matter what.
"I want to have my ears cut to become pointy like an elf's, my jaw to look more sharp like a diamond, a facelift and an eyelift to give my eyes a cat-like shape.
"I am also consider[ing] having muscle implants too.
Luis Padron before his transformation. Photo / Luis Padron, Caters News Agency
"There's also a surgery to make you taller and I will remove four of my ribs too, so that I can shape my waist to make it thinner.
"People have stared at me ever since I was a teenager, so it's very normal to me now. I like people staring at me and don't care what they think.
"Even when I'm not dressed up like an elf people stare at me. I have had long white hair for five years, I use larger contact lenses and I am very tall.
"I use make-up to enhance my features so they are more angelic and wear clothing that's more stylish or antique.
"I consider myself trans-species, in the same way transgender people feel, I need to become how I feel inside, I don't expect people to understand but I ask they respect it.
"The fantasy genre makes me happy and because I didn't have many friends when I was younger I submerged myself into it."
Luis Padron as his elf character. Photo / Luis Padron, Caters News Agency
Luis fell in love with the fantasy genre during his early teens, while struggling with bullies who mocked him because he dyed his hair and had different dress sense.
But by the end of high school, Luis claims his quirkiness led to him being admired, which further fuelled his longing to be different.
He added: "I was bullied as a child and as an escape I would submerge myself in fantasy movies like Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story, as well as other fantasy tales.
"Over time things changed, older teens liked me because I was unique and that's what encouraged me to start turning what I felt on the inside into a reality.
"I started with cosplay but it wasn't enough, I wanted to change to become my own perception of beauty."
At the age of 14, he was determined to undergo surgery to look more like an elf and six years later he went under the knife for the first time.
Luis Padron after some of his surgeries. Photo / Luis Padron, Caters News Agency
Luis said: "It was the start that led me to decide this was the direction I wanted my life to go in, the recovery was painful and slow but I was happy with how I looked.
"I didn't care for how much it hurt, because it allowed me to get one step closer to my dream of what I want to become."
In his question for fantasy perfection he continued to have over 40 fillers, full body hair removal, laser skin bleaching to remove any freckles and Botox.
Additionally, he underwent medically unapproved treatment to change his eye colour from a honey brown to a crystal blue - leading to some painful side-effects.
Luis said: "It was without anaesthesia, was very pain and meant I had to use eye drops and extremely black sunglasses, essentially I became like a vampire with extreme photosensitivity.
"At first even watching stars in the sky was painful but three days later they felt normal again, I don't know how they affect my sight in future.
"It hasn't turned to a crystal blue colour yet unfortunately they are currently a greyish colour, but I'm still hopeful as I have four more sessions left."
Luis says he considers himself trans-species. Photo / Luis Padron, Caters News Agency
From his unusual looks, he's forged a career modelling, selling cosplay items and is even paid to make appearances as a real-life elf at events.
But his lifestyle comes at a cost, with a $5,000 monthly cost to continue bleaching his skin and hair, high sunscreen to prevent his skin from tanning, contact lenses, make-up and care products.
Luis said: "I don't consider this an obsession, but a lifestyle, for me reality is cruel, but in fantasy you have all of the hope, love, friendship and good feelings.
"This helps me to feel like a good person but in fantasy you have to be beautiful not only on the inside but the outside too.
"This has changed my life for good in so many ways, I can't even begin to describe it."
Luis is part of The Plastics of Hollywood - a division of a talent agency for surgery addicts, real life dolls, human cartoons and more.
The agency are set to be followed as part of TV show where stars including Rodrigo Alves, Pixee Fox, Justin Jedlica and others try to nurture talent away from their surgery.
Marcela Iglesias, a producer and manager of the Plastics of Hollywood, said: "Luis was ignored by his parents and bullied at school, but instead of being sad he created his own world, which is the same for many of my dolls - they went into survival mode.
Luis Padron. Photo / Luis Padron, Caters News Agency
"When I saw a picture of him, he caught my attention for looking like an elf, he had surgery on his nose, the laser treatment, jawline liposuction and more that gave him fantastic facial angles.
"Beside all of the surgery and procedures, Luis is very creative, he was responsible for designing contact lenses and more, he also has a huge following who want to pursue the same fantasy words.
"At the end of the day they are regular human beings with different types of goals in life."
Marcela who is also from Argentina, says that his decision for Luis to embrace becoming a fantasy character was brave as it not seen as a norm in Argentinian society.
She added: "In the capital city, if he went there people would say 'what the hell is this' and would say what they think right to his face.
"As far as I know, he's first person from Argentina who is doing this, I think others seeing him will revolutionise others to come out of hiding."
LUIS'S $35,000 SURGERIES TO BECOME AN ELF
Jowl liposuction Laser skin bleaching Full body hair removal Eye colour changing surgeries x 5 Rhinoplasty Botox Hyaluronic acid injections Fillers x 40
FUTURE SURGERIES TO BECOME AN ELF
Ears cut to become pointed Surgery to make jawline diamond shaped Hair implants to give a heart-shaped hairline Surgery to reduce appearance of Adam's apple Limb lengthening to become 6ft 5 Four ribs removed Eye colour changing surgeries x 4 Eyelift to make them more cat like Rhinoplasty BrightOccular PermaSmile
