Luis Pardon spent his 20s morphing into a real-life elf to achieve his dream of looking like a fantasy character.
His epic journey involved 32 surgeries that included having his ears shaped to a point, his face re-shaped and his eye colour altered.
But the extreme body modifications came at a cost - and we’re not just talking about the £75,000 on surgery bills.
The publicist, from Argentina, said he became “dangerously skinny” over the past two years.
But he recently decided to put his health first and temporarily ditch the elf persona to focus on himself.
And the 31-year-old is now unrecognisable after getting addicted to gym gains.
Speaking to Silver Screen Beat about why he felt the need for a transformation, Luis, now based in LA, said: “I am part of that small portion of humans that have a really hard time at gaining weight.
“Stress makes me lose weight like a curse. The pandemic and some family feuds plunged me into a depression that dropped my weight to a dangerous 63 kilos.
“Fortunately I have crawled my way up and now I have 20 more kilos. And I hope to reach 90kg by the end of the year.
“I have trainers and surgeons helping me get closer to my goal as quickly and naturally as possible. My friends and followers are shocked at how fast I am changing and that’s flattering.”
Luis trains three hours in the gym every day while “eating like a beast” to get bigger.
He has even stopped bleaching his hair elf white for the first time in a decade.
“I almost don’t feel like myself,” he laughed. “Now I have long dark roots and black eyebrows, which in contrast to my pale skin makes me look like a vampire.
“So I’m considering tanning, something I never thought I’d ever do.”
And despite being out of his comfort zone, Luis said it was a relief to pause his elf appearance.
He added: “Maintaining the elf look takes a lot of money and effort, not to mention hours every day.
“I’ve stopped the bleach, shaving, using heavy makeup and wearing super tight clothes and prosthetics. Now days feel longer and I can breathe.”
His goal is to get “as big as possible” and to focus more on health than surgeries.
And he said he had to hit rock bottom to realise what is important to him in life.
“Gym made me survive and keep my mind steady during storms,” he added. “Now I’m a little bit addicted to it.”
And while he will go back to his elf-like self in future, for now the plastic surgery fanatic is embracing the change.
He said: “I always loved my body but I must say I do look healthier and more attractive now, which has helped to boost my self-esteem.
“I was scared at first of how my followers would react to my extreme makeover, but surprisingly they were quite supportive when I started opening up about things.
“I will miss fantasy but this is not an end… just a pause to come back bigger, stronger, and better.”
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