Filipino had 23 surgeries to look like Superman

Nose jobs, skin-whitening, liposuction, jaw realignment, bum implants and fillers - dressmaker Herbert Chavez has done it all in a bid to look more like his idol, Superman.

Even in the world of extreme plastic surgery aficionados, the 38-year-old from the Philippines stands out for his commitment to his cause. He has undergone 23 surgeries in 17 years so that he can look like the comic-book superhero Clark Kent, famously played by the late actor Christopher Reeve in the 1970s and 1980s.

But Mr Chavez has hit a recent roadblock in his transformation. Surgeons have refused to give him the implants to achieve the "abs of steel" of the American icon.

They said that he had injected himself with reportedly illegal fillers and should hit the gym instead.

This information, revealed in a teaser of an American reality TV series Botched, has gone viral around the world. Botched, which focuses on fixing plastic procedures gone awry, is not aired in Singapore.

When contacted by Life over the telephone, Mr Chavez says he will not give up his quest for the body of Superman.

He adds: "If those doctors don't want to do the surgery, maybe other doctors will do it for me."

But why does he not exercise?

"I'm busy with my regular work and I don't have time to go to the gym. I also eat a lot and I like chocolate," he says.

The 1.7m-tall bachelor, who weighs 61kg, says he has had so many procedures that he cannot recall the details of several of them.

His obsession with the superhero started at age four when he watched his first movie - Superman II - in the cinema.

Born with brown eyes, the son of a tricycle driver and street food seller used to be pimply and had darker skin.

On his 16th birthday, a friend gave him a pair of bright blue contact lenses. Around that time, he also started wearing foundation to make his skin look fairer.

At age 21, he started approaching cosmetic surgeons in the Philippines to make him look like his idol.

"What I do to my own body is my own business," he says.

"Some may laugh at my obsession, but everything that has happened in my life has been positive and it's all because of Superman.

"To me, going to the plastic surgeon is like going to the salon."

The operations, he claims, were free, performed in exchange for promoting the doctors' practice.

He says he has suffered no side effects so far.

The only procedure that he is reluctant to do is one to increase his height to 1.9m, the same height as Reeve.

"I don't think the technology for this procedure has been perfected yet," he says.

Anything else, however, is fair game. "I will stop only when my doctor says my body cannot endure it anymore."

He also reportedly holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Superman memorabilia.

He has more than 1,200 items - dolls, mannequins, posters, comic books, mugs, curtains, rugs and bed-sheets.

Once a week, he dons a self-made Superman costume - complete with cape, cuffs and shorts over tights - and gathers with some cosplayer friends to take photos with children and sign autographs.

He also occasionally performs as a Superman-lookalike at malls and events. "I want to give inspiration and hope to the children in the Philippines," he says.

"I want to let them see and talk to Superman in the flesh."

Sorry, you cannot have the face of Lin Chiling

Plastic surgeons here have had to turn away some patients because of their unrealistic demands.

Some want to undergo surgery to look like certain celebrities. Others are just not satisfied with their looks.

For these rare few, counselling might be more beneficial than surgery, say surgeons interviewed.

Dr Wong Chin Ho, 40, who runs a private clinic and has about 10 years' experience, once encoun- tered an Asian woman in her 50s who was not satisfied with her nose even after undergoing 15 operations.

She apparently started having nose jobs in her 20s and constantly wanted a "prettier" nose.

By the time she went to Dr Wong - seeking a 16th operation - her nose had collapsed.

He says that too many operations done on a certain part of the body can cause the tissue there to die.

"Eventually, the feature can break down and look sunken in," he adds. "I told her I could not operate on her without transplanting tissue from her forehead and she was not agreeable to this."

Another patient, a plain-looking woman in her early 20s, wanted to have the face of Lin Chiling to please her boyfriend, who liked the look of the Taiwanese model- actress.

Dr Wong adds: "I told her it was impossible because she had a different skeletal structure from the actress."

Thankfully, most patients are content with improving what nature has given them.

Surgeons say they generally try to achieve a supple, natural look which makes the patient still recognisable.

Dr Chua Jun Jin, 49, who has 15 years' experience, says: "If you want so much surgery, you'll no longer be you. You will become another person."

Once, he encountered an Asian man in his 20s who wanted a cleft chin. "The feature may look good on a Caucasian, but it didn't fit in with the rest of his face.

"So I asked him to consult 10 friends about whether the surgery was a good idea. Thankfully, he didn't return."

Dr Leo Kah Woon, 40, has en- countered patients who have undergone more than six procedures on their eyelids and still complain that one eyelid is smaller or higher than the other.

He says: "The warning bells go off if patients cannot pin down exactly what they want and just say they are unhappy with a certain feature.

"I tell them if they cannot be specific, I cannot deliver what they want."

Dr Andrew Khoo, 52, says he warns those who have had multiple operations of the greater risk of developing complications or of not healing well.

"Each operation causes a certain amount of injury and scarring. If multiple surgeries are done in quick succession, the area is too scarred and there may be healing problems due to poor blood supply."

Some patients, surgeons say, suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, a mental illness in which the person cannot stop thinking about a perceived flaw in his appearance and goes to great lengths to rectify it.

Those with such a condition can become depressed and withdrawn, says Dr Adrian Wang, 48, a psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre.

They might avoid social interaction - believing that other people would be watching and judging them - and some might not even be able to hold down a job.

Treatment, he says, usually consists of counselling and - if the patient is feeling depressed or anxious - medication.

But not all patients who go for plastic surgery frequently suffer from such a condition, he adds.

"Some of them may just be very vain, highly insecure or simply have a lot of money to spend."

I want to look like Barbie doll

She's a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world.

Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova has been dubbed the human Barbie doll.

Although the 29-year-old has reportedly admitted to having had breast implants, she insists that the rest of her body is natural.

Her secret?

Daily gym workouts and a special diet. In case you are wondering, her diet is said to consist of only water, fresh fruit juice and tiny amounts of raw fish.

To enhance her doll-like features, the 1.7m-tall blonde uses make-up, eyelash extensions and coloured contact lenses.

She shocked the Internet last year when she said she was converting to a cult that believes food - and possibly water - are not necessary forhumansurvival.

Given that she is still alive, she clearly did not go through with it.

I want to look like Ken doll

Would you have more than 190 cosmetic procedures to look like Barbie's boyfriend?

American Justin Jedlica did. And for that, he has been dubbed the human Ken doll.

The 34-year-old underwent his first cosmetic procedure four days after his 18th birthday to reconstruct his nose.

Since then, he has had implants in his chest, shoulder, bicep, triceps, thighsand calves.

He also had surgery to augment his cheek and lips.

The cost? More than £150,000 ($320,000).

Given his familiarity with plastic surgery, it is no surprise that he works as a plastic surgery "design specialist", providing personal consultations to people thinking about cosmetic surgery.

I want to look like Kim kardashian The American socialite and reality TV star - whose sex tape was leaked in 2007 - might seem like a strange choice for a role model, but a woman from England, Claire Leeson, has reportedly spent almost £20,000 ($43,000) to look like her.

This included £5,000 on new breasts, £4,500 on hair extensions and £1,000on spray tans.

Don't forget teeth-whitening, nails, shoes and clothes too.

Leeson started her transformation in 2009 after watching the TV programme Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

She reportedly said she opted for bum padding instead of bum implants because the pads "feel very real" and she knows "my bum is never going to be as big as Kim's".

Too bad her transformation has apparently left her £6,000 in debt.

But who needs money when you can look like Kimmy?

I want to look like Justin Bieber

Toby Sheldon's idol might have recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, but that did not stop him from spending more than US$100,000 (S$137,000) to look like Justin Bieber.

Sheldon, a 34-year-old American songwriter, had skin removed on his upper eyelid to get the babyfaced Bieber's bright, open eyes and various hair transplants to get the singer's bangs and hairline.

To achieve - in his words - Bieber's "perfect smile", Sheldon also had liposuction on his chin and surgeryon his lips.

His obsession reportedly started in 2008 when a pre-pubescent Bieber became the object of affection of hordes of pre-teen girls.

Although Sheldon has said in aTV documentary that his procedures were "really, really successful", some people would probably beg to differ.

I want to look like Ryan Gosling

Brace yourself. It's a sad story.

Nicholas Ryan, a 34-year-old aspiring actor from the United States, has reportedly spent US$5,000 (S$6,800) on Botox and filler injections in a two-hour procedure in 2013 to look like the Gangster Squad star.

Unfortunately, few are convinced. The Huffington Post's Andy McDonald writes: "Kidding aside, this guy really looks nothing like Ryan Gosling."

Ryan - no surprise, it's his stage name - told the online version of The Daily Mail that he hoped the procedures would help him hit the big time in Hollywood and improve his chances with women.

Here's to hoping.

This article was first published on July 19, 2015.
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