We live in a world where you can be almost anything you want to be … even if that means transforming into a magical space elf. That is the story of Luis Padron, an Argentinian man who has been on a quest to look like this mystical creature for years. We're not just talking turning into an elf through costumes and prosthetics. Luis has undergone multiple plastic surgery procedures to permanently change himself into the elf of his dreams. His fascination started when he was a kid and he will stop at nothing to get the look that he wants.
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"I specifically focus my transformation in space elves," Luis shared on E!'s Botched plastic surgery show earlier this year. "They are warriors of love and light, and they protect the Earth from evil aliens and stuff like that." That explanation makes perfect sense if you take a look at Luis' backstory. He became engulfed in the world of these fantastical guardians through books and films to cope with being bullied in school when he was a child.
But turning into the character that helped him get over a difficult time has cost Luis some serious blood, sweat and tears. Getting the pointy ears, chiseled face, and purple eyes he desires requires a lot of work. Luis has spent thousands of dollars and has gotten dozens of procedures to get the look that he wants, and he's not done yet. It's no wonder that "the plastic prince" is one of his nicknames.
"I call myself plastic prince because it’s a mix between fairy tales and the modern world that is full of plastic," Luis told Barcroft TV.
This is so accurate!
Pleiadians are Luis’ main inspiration.
He discovered them when he was teenager. "They are perfect human beings from the space," he told Barcroft TV. "They are a mix between elf and aliens. They are very pale, they are very tall, they have this silver long hair, big big eyes. And I took them as the icon I want to become."
Luis uses the "trans-species" label to explain his need to physically become an elf.
"Many people consider themselves trans-species," he explained on ITV's This Morning. "I don’t think I form part of that because a trans-species… there’s people that feels like cats and act like cats, for example, but I don’t expect people to treat me like an elf or to treat me with a different manner just because I want to express how I feel inside. I just compare how transgenders feel that necessity of exteriorize how they feel inside, but I am aware of my human limitations."
Seeing a woman transform herself into a human Barbie when he was 14 years old inspired him to go under the knife.
"I saw this Barbie girl transformed herself with plastic surgery and decided I needed that to be who I wanted to be," he told This Morning. He got his first nose job and jaw liposuction when he was 20 years old.
Luis shared that he has spent approximately $60,000 on more than 40 procedures to become a human elf.
He has gotten rhinoplasties, surgery to make his ears pointier (he still uses prosthetic ears), fillers, and more.
One of the most intense surgeries he has gotten has been reshaping his jawline.
"They have to cut the bone in four parts," he said. "Then they remove a little part from the bone and then they make it really sharp like a diamond."
Luis has even risked his eyesight to achieve his dream look.
He submitted himself to an experimental laser eye surgery to permanently change his original honey-colored eyes (seen in this picture) to purple.
He has changed his eye color six times!
Unfortunately, the procedures have been unsuccessful and left him with a gray color that he does not like. It is one of the changes he regrets and the difficulties of trying to get such a unique eye color have led him to amass a collection of 500 contact lenses.
One of his main goals is getting a tiny, pointy nose and a smaller jaw.
He appeared on E!’s Botched this year to get professional help. Luis already had procedures done to these areas, but he wasn’t satisfied with the results. "I want my nose to be smaller, my jaw to be smaller and more symmetric," he said. "I want to fulfill my dreams and reach my goals. I'm not elfing around with being an elf."
Luis' family hasn’t always been onboard with his transformation.
"My family, they didn’t like it at first," he told Barcroft TV. "They were scared of what I wanted to do. But then I did my first surgery, then I did my second surgery, and my third surgery, and they were like, 'We can’t stop him.'"
Luis is almost unrecognizable from his younger self.
This photo of him with Lady Gaga was taken over six years ago.
Luis has reflected on his transformation on social media.
"Old me. I look so different! Like another dimension," he captioned this photo of himself from 2013.
Luis started experimenting with his look when he was child.
Luis' sister told Barcroft TV that he was changing his hair color and wearing funky clothes by the time he was 7 years old.
Despite going under the knife many times, Luis spends hours on his makeup everyday.
"I usually spend two hours a day on makeup until it looks exactly as I want," he told Barcroft TV. "I try to make it look as natural as possible, but at the same time looking fake as a fantasy being."
Luis also wears designer and one-of-a-kind clothing to achieve his look.
This leather jacket is out of this world.
Luis uses wigs to get the silver hair he wants, but it is only a temporary solution.
He hopes to get a hair transplant one day.
According to Luis, the overall reaction he receives when he’s out in public is positive.
People stare at him, but he is treated like a prince for the most part. Aside from a couple of trolls, Luis is also treated nicely online.
Luis is happier than he has ever been.
He told This Morning that the surgeries completely changed his life. It brought him fame and money through new job opportunities.
As of May of this year, Luis still has a long list of surgeries he wants to get done.
"I still need some liftings, then an Adam’s apple reduction, cat eyes, another eye color change, and then some more fillers, another nose job maybe, and I can be done with that," he said. "I also want to add some fangs to my teeth."
According to some Instagram posts, it looks like Luis checked off a lift from his list in August.
Luis insists that he isn’t doing this elf transformation for attention. He’s doing it for himself.
"I really don’t dress like this to provoke a reaction," he told Barcroft TV. "I dress like this because I like to look like this for me and not for the others. It is important for me because I feel like I want to express how I feel inside like a fantasy character and I want to take this to the outside world."
