After becoming enthralled from a young age by one of the biggest icons in the music industry, Michael Jackson himself, Leo Blanco from Buenos Aires, Argentina has made it his life-long goal to look exactly like the idol.
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Starting at an eye-wateringly young age of 15, Leo has undergone a total of two pinnaplasty procedures to reshape his ears, three liposuction surgeries, four rhinoplasty procedures to mimic the singer's botched nose job as well as two hyaluronic acid and botox applications as to accentuate his cheekbones. But the superfan makes it clear that it doesn't stop there when it comes to achieving his 'dream' look: "Once you start with the surgeries, there's no limit.
"It’s impossible to have just one or two surgeries done, you want more and more," he told Barcroft TV."
Of course, money doesn't grow on trees and so Leo funds his transformation by performing as a tribute act to Michael Jackson. However, when it comes to his mother's approval, the case remains a little more complicated as his mum, Adriana Caruso expresses her anxieties as to whether her son is compromising his his health and safety in turn for his ultimate goal:
"I approve of him being a fan of Michael Jackson and impersonating him, but the plastic surgeries?
"I am worried because he talks about surgeries so calmly, as if he was going to a hairdresser, but I fear that he is going to die in one of the surgeries,"
Despite the risk and expenses that snowball with further procedures, Leo admits he is happier this way and he couldn't be more confident with his image after having difficulties finding friends with like-minded interests throughout school:
"I've never had many friends at school. I thought that there is something wrong with me and that I had to form my body, so I went to the gym and I bleached my hair blonde," Leo recounts, casting his mind back to his school years.
"Despite being muscular and blond, I have never managed to connect with pupils of my age.
“I can say that today I'm surrounded by people who I love and not with people that the high school imposes on me.”
Of course with such a dramatic transformation and a distinctive look, Leo definitely turns heads and has even built his own fan base with over 44,000 followers on Instagram alone. The Jackson-double also admits having acquired fans through performances via shows and even on the street, with many recognising him and asking to take a photo with the dupe of the King of Pop.
Leo remains optimistic about the power of cosmetic surgery when aligned with his dream aesthetic goal: “I feel that the body is a container and I can modify it in an artistic way. Just like when I see a white wall I feel like doing graffiti, to paint, to mark it, the same happened to me with my body.”
