Tech millionaire's attempt to reverse age and get 'baby face' goes horribly wrong

Tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, known for his anti-aging experiments, has been working on ways to reverse the signs of aging. His latest project focused on making his face look younger, but it came with some serious setbacks, including an allergic reaction that left him temporarily unrecognisable.

Johnson, who has gained attention for trying to turn back the biological clock, explained his journey to restore his facial appearance as part of his goal to look biologically like an 18-year-old. In a video, Johnson said, "Facial fat is really important to how someone gauges another person's youthfulness. The problem was, no matter how good my biomarkers were, people would look at my face and say, 'That guy is old.'"

To regain a youthful look, Johnson tried several treatments. One of them was Sculptra, a biostimulator that helps boost natural collagen production. "Instead of putting filler in the face, which just expands in volume, you’re getting actual collagen production," Johnson said. He used two vials every six months, instead of the typical one vial per year, to catch up on lost volume.

Johnson also tried Renuva, a fat transfer therapy to restore facial volume. Since he didn’t have enough body fat for the procedure, doctors used donor fat, which led to complications. "When I did this, I had an extreme allergic reaction. In fact, the first day I did it, I met up with a reporter for Bloomberg, and on my way home, I blew up—I couldn’t even see out of my eyes," Johnson recalled. Images showed his swollen and unrecognizable face, forcing him to abandon Renuva after just one treatment.

Following this setback, Johnson increased his daily calorie intake from 1,950 to 2,250 calories, which helped him gain 15 pounds (about 7 kg) and restore some of the lost facial volume. "My life substantially improved with a few more calories. At 1,950, you're in a pretty serious deficit. You're hungry all the time; it's kind of painful. But I signed up for this, and I was willing to do anything to achieve the objective," Johnson said.

Johnson's project, called "Project Baby Face," also involved under-eye PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin) to rejuvenate the under-eye area without fillers, which can migrate and cause problems. "I would strongly recommend you do not do filler under the eye," Johnson warned, suggesting PRF as a safer option.

Johnson said that caring about his looks was not always a priority for him. "Growing up in a small community, no one really cared about aesthetics. You were just expected, as you age, to get fat, go bald. So I didn’t apply face cream, for example, ever in my entire life until I was in my early forties." As he pursued a longer and healthier life, he realized that appearance played an important role in how his work was received.

Johnson's journey highlights the challenges of trying to look younger. As he continues his quest to align his biological age with his 18-year-old self, Johnson said, "Now, that sounds inconceivable today, but within time, is it? That is a question I think is worth asking as we head into the future."