He was born as a Brazilian, but chose to become an Asian.
A 25-year-old Brazilian man has made headlines for undergoing at least ten major surgeries on the eyes to get a Korean look.
The man has spent a total of $3,100 to make changes in his lips and eyes, Korea Herald reported. To get the perfect Asian look, he has also changed his hair colour and has started wearing contact lenses. However, Xiahn, whose original name is Max, has retained the shape of his nose as it is. (Click here to see his original picture)
Xiahn reportedly longed to look like an Asian, when he joined Dongseo University in South Korea as an exchange student, G1 Globo.com reported.
However, the transformation was not that easy. Though he approached many plastic surgeons to fulfil his Asian dreams, nobody was ready to help him.
"I was, in a sense, a guinea pig experiment," Xiahn, told G1 Globo.com. "He explained to me what he could do and how it would look. No regrets," he added.
Though Xiahn succeeded in convincing his father, his mother, who is a physiotherapist was not initially happy with his decision. He said that his mom was worried about the hidden health risks associated with the procedure.
"The first time she saw me, she was very worried. My face was still quite swollen and purple," he told G1 Globo.com , later adding: "As much as the size of the eye has decreased somewhat, I can see normally."
The Asian look has already grabbed new opportunities for the young man. Thanks to his new looks, Xiahn has been chosen as a model by a website that sells Asian inspired clothing in Brazil.
Xiahn said that he is happy about his looks and is not planning to conduct more surgeries in the future. "Regardless of any religion they may have, I believe I have only one life and that if he can not be who I want now never be able to," he explained.
Similar to Xiahn, in 2011, a 35-year-old man from Philippines, named Herbert Chavez invited international attention for undergoing plastic surgery to look like superman, i.e. actor Christopher Reeve.
Plastic surgery has been part of the human history for a long time. An investigation into the origin of the plastic surgery points at certain reconstructive techniques performed in India around 800 BC. It was during the First World War, plastic surgery became more popular. The procedure was widely used to help soldiers repair the facial injuries caused during the war. Different types of plastic surgeries have been a trend both among common people and celebrities since then.
There exist some incidences that highlight the hidden risk of this procedure. In 2010, a 37-year-old Argentine model named Solange Magnano died from the complications of a surgery performed on her buttocks.
