37-year-old Herbert Chavez, from Calamba City in the Philippines, has undergone 23 surgeries in an attempt to transform himself into his idol, Superman.
Since 1998, Herbert has spent thousands on plastic surgery to make himself look like the fictional superhero.
“Superman has always been my obsession since I saw one of his movies at the age of four,” says Herbert.
Herbert’s transformation began in 1997, when he started wearing blue contact lenses and used makeup to lighten his skin.
Within a year, he’d had his first nose job and was planning more surgeries that would completely alter his face.
Herbert funded his surgery obsession with a well-paid job making designer clothing, and used his skills to make himself Superman costumes.
Over the years, Herbert has had fat removed from his face, his nose thinned multiple times, a cleft chin implanted, chemically whitened his skin, and had silicone injected into his lips for a fuller pout.
“I want to spread the message that we can all be superheroes, that all of us have that potential within,” explains Herbert, “There have been certain incidents in my life which made me realize that I’m a real Superman.”
But Herbert’s obsession has nearly cost him his life. Last year, Herbert injected his stomach with an illegal chemical filler in an effort to give himself six-pack abs.
The filler covered Herbert’s chest and stomach in spots and lumps and horrified doctors, fearing for Herbert’s life, told him it was too risky to even operate to remove the filler.
Sadly, this hasn’t put Herbert off having more surgery. He’s hoping to have his eye color permanently changed and have his legs surgically lengthened.
“When my body says it cannot endure it anymore, or when my doctor says that my body cannot handle it because of age, then I will stop.”
Herbert insists his main goal in life is to show Filipinos the true meaning of being a superhero — we just hope it doesn’t cost him his life.
