Trans-Species Man Spends $30,000 To Become An Elf


A 25-year-old man from Argentina has spent over $30,000 on plastic surgery, hair treatments, and other cosmetic procedures and says he won’t stop until he’s fully transformed into an elf.

Luis Padron says his obsession with elves began as a young teenager when he was bullied by other children for his dyed hair, unique sense of fashion, and quirky character. To cope, he escaped into fantasy worlds like those found in The Lord of the Rings, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, and The Neverending Story. In time, his quirkiness and a growing comfort with his identity led him to become a favorite of older teens whose encouraging friendships gave him confidence.

“I wanted to change to become my own perception of beauty.”

He had his first surgery at age 20 after six years of knowing what he wanted to do–undergo cosmetic changes to make his outer appearance match the identity of his inner persona, that of an elf.

He has had over 40 Botox injections, laser hair removal and skin bleaching, liposuction and a medically unapproved eye surgery. His eyes went from a light caramel brown color to crystal blue.

“‘It was without anaesthesia, was very painful and meant I had to use eye drops and extremely black sunglasses.”

And Luis Padron isn’t done yet. He plans to undergo several more procedures to complete his transformation. He still needs surgery to make his ears pointed, like that of an elf. A face and eye lift will make his facial structure more elf-like. He wants to get hair implants for a heart-shaped hairline. And by removing four of his ribs and undergoing a limb-lengthening operation, Luis Padron will achieve an impossibly thin look around the waist and the limb-lengthening procedure will extend his height to 6’5? tall.

“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.”

His procedures already cost a hefty sum to maintain. Luis Padron spends approximately $5,000 a month to maintain the look he has got for himself, including hair bleaching treatments for his white hair and SPF 100 sunscreen for his bleached skin. He has maintained white hair for five years and uses makeup to create an “angelic” look, also dressing the part by wearing antique and unusual clothing.

The “elf” sells anime merchandise and has also forged a modeling career with his unique look, being paid sometimes for special appearances.

“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.”

Photos from before his transformation show a 10-year-old boy with blue hair and a young man with brown hair and masculine features before transforming convincingly through makeup and cosmetic surgery into an elf.

Padron says the procedures have made him happy and increased the amount of good in his life. He feels more comfortable in his own skin and that he can now express beauty not only by being good on the inside but by looking the way he wants on the outside, too.

“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.”

What do you think of this young man who wants to become an elf? Is being trans-species like being trans-gendered? Will we see more people identifying as elves in the future–or perhaps as other creatures?

[Featured Image by Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock]

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