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Jeremy Blum

In an effort to look Korean, a Brazilian exchange student has undergone 10 rounds of surgery and spent US$31,000 to alter his appearance.
The formerly blond and blue-eyed 25-year-old, who identified himself only by the name “Xiahn” in order to protect his family’s privacy, is of German descent and a native of the southern Brazilian city Novo Hamburgo.

In interviews with local media, Xiahn said that he had long been interested in Korean popular culture and a year at Busan’s Dongseo University had made him eager to undergo plastic surgery.
“Koreans have many surgeries to modify the shape of their eyes and become more like Westerners,” Xiahn said in a report by The Korea Herald. “It was easy to tell when one of them had done it, walking on the street wearing sunglasses and a surgical mask.”

Xiahn said that changing the appearance of his eyes was his first priority, reported Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora.
"I put my fingers inside the eye and pulled. That was the way I wanted to have my eyes," he said. "I was not afraid that something would go wrong…[and] everything worked out. My vision is perfect."
Currently, Xiahn wears black contact lenses and has also dyed his hair to enhance his Korean-inspired appearance.

After becoming a minor celebrity online after news of his surgery went viral, Xiahn shot back at critics on his Facebook account, pointing out that he is satisfied with his current look and has no regrets.
'Regardless of religion that the person is [sic], whether or not you believe in past lives, you have only this life, you have to be who you want to be,” he wrote.
Plastic surgery is remarkably commonplace in South Korea, a country which has the seventh-highest total number of yearly procedures carried out worldwide, according to data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.


Brazilian man undergoes 10 operations in order to look Korean

Before and after images of Xiahn. Photo: Screenshot via The Korea Herald

Xiahn is a native of Novo Hamburgo. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The 25-year-old said that a year long stint in Korea convinced him to go under the knife. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Xiahn's surgery has made him something of a minor celebrity in Brazil, and he has made appearances on local television programmes. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Risky double-jaw surgery South Korea's latest cosmetic fad

A woman passes a billboard in Seoul advertising double-jaw surgery for cosmetic purposes. "Everyone but you has done it," some of the posters claim. Photo: AFP

Before and after pictures show the dramatic difference double-jaw surgery can make in a patient's appearance. Photo: AFP

Korean plastic surgeon shares his views on industry regulations

Dr John Yu demonstrates radio frequency treatment. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Federation of Beauty Industry founding chairman Nelson Ip. Photo: Edmond So

News

Asia

The 25-year-old spent US$31,000 and says that he is completely satisfied with his new look


In an effort to look Korean, a Brazilian exchange student has undergone 10 rounds of surgery and spent US$31,000 to alter his appearance. The formerly blond and blue-eyed 25-year-old, who identified himself only by the name “Xiahn” in order to protect his family’s privacy, is of German descent and a native of the southern Brazilian city Novo Hamburgo.
