A 35-year-old biohacker who “looks like a teenager” has admitted that one of his secrets to staying young is “living like a vampire”.

Brandon Miles May, who has found internet fame on TikTok, told The Independent that he avoids the sun as much as possible because it is the leading cause of skin damage.

As well as wearing a hat and sunglasses on the rare occasions he does go outside, he also uses what he describes as a “sunbrella” to protect his skin.

While most people do not think about the effects of ageing until they are in their 30s or older, Brandon claims he became conscious of his desire to keep his skin youthful when he was just 13 years old.

The biohacker said that he was first compared to a vampire when he was a teenager by his mother, but the comparison is now made by “everyone”.

“I also have a UVA meter (UVA is the spectrum of UV that is largely responsible for skin ageing) which I’ve used to measure the amount of UVA coming in through windows in my home,” he said.

“I’ve used that to understand just where I should avoid sitting for longer periods of time, as accumulated light through windows also contribute to skin ageing.

“When I walk around my home, I sometimes think of it to the scene in the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire when Kirsten Dunst’s character Claudia wakes up and tries to stay in the shadows and avoids the light (I think that’s what happened!).

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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      3 months ago

      Yeah, I have to be careful around the sun but that’s pushing it. If he’s that worried about UV inside he can add blocking films to windows.

      • mipadaitu@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        You shouldn’t be that “worried” about the sun. It’s borderline obsessive.

        Daily sunscreen is more than enough.

        You need sunlight to process vitamins and keep your vitamin D up

        You need sunlight to regulate your circadian rhythm.

        If you hide from the sun 24x7 you need to supplement those deficiencies with other sources, and it’s highly likely you won’t be successful in doing that.

        • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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          3 months ago

          If you hide from the sun 24x7 you need to supplement those deficiencies with other sources, and it’s highly likely you won’t be successful in doing that.

          Here in the UK we don’t get enough sun for 6 months of the year to keep our Vitamin D levels up, so you have to supplement anyway. I doubt I get enough naturally at any time so take a high strength supplement and that does the trick.

  • Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk
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    3 months ago

    I get much the same reaction from people. I look like I’m only 55 even though I’m actually 56. I put this down to my diet of pop tarts and gin.

  • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
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    3 months ago

    he also uses what he describes as a “sunbrella” to protect his skin.

    The word is “parasol” you fucking plonker

  • BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Well there is more to this than avoiding the sun. He also looks like he hasn’t been though puberty which has nothing to do with the sun.

  • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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    3 months ago

    As a pasty ginger who never tans, just crisps, under a full moon, I always joke about my “vampire-grade sun protection” (riffing off the scene in Blade where the vampires are in high SPF sun cream and motorbike gear for the dawn.

    I always use SPF 50 when outside on sunny days and a lower SPF cream for general use and then wear high UPF clothing (a bit like the top he’s wearing in one photo).

    At a recent funeral, folks I hadn’t seen in decades commented how I didn’t look like I’d aged much and I didn’t want to point out how sun damaged some of the people saying it were.

    Also sleeping in a coffin and drinking blood helps.

  • moistclump@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Mr Johnson is similarly seeking to improve his health and said his ultimate goal is to not die.

    This seems like an extreme anxiety and/or OCD. Especially if he’s not getting to live a regular life because he’s scared of the sun. Just seems unhealthy and concerning.

    But I guess, if he’s happy and doesn’t need to leave for employment or friends, whatever.

  • SomeGuy69@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    He just uses every trick under the sun to look like that. Starting by being underweight, strategical placing the hair, wearing child clothes, using filters and makeup, hormon blockers etc. All to look like a person with major disorders. Congratulations for the YouTube money.

  • Elise@beehaw.org
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    3 months ago

    I wear 3 different spf products, including on my lips, and always the max, even when it’s cloudy and I’m inside. Even when I am utterly depressed.

    And then you have people who go tanning after putting on OLIVE OIL.

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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      3 months ago

      And then you have people who go tanning after putting on OLIVE OIL.

      That kind of thing makes me wonder what people are thinking, unless they are friends with cannibals (which is like friends with benefits but tastier).

      • Elise@beehaw.org
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        3 months ago

        Now you got me wondering which of my friends is tastiest.

        Regarding olive oil, well I’m pretty sure it’s a good way to take care of your skin. People have put it on since ancient times. But I just can’t imagine it has any significant spf. What I can imagine is that people just don’t get it, cuz I run into people who don’t even know what uv radiation is.

        • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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          3 months ago

          There are idiots everywhere.

          Now you got me wondering which of my friends is tastiest.

          I think we all taste like pork and depends on the marinade.

          It’s been long agreed on amongst my friend’s that, in an Alive situation, I’d be the first one on the BBQ.

    • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      I remember my sisters using baby oil in the 70s to get a deeper burn which meant a darker tan.

  • fracture [he/him] @beehaw.org
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    3 months ago

    i don’t really go outside much, i look a little younger than i am (altho i usually credit this with being trans) but

    i would go INSANE if i looked like a teenager in my mid thirties!!! 😭

    • faercol@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      Yeah, I get looking a bit younger. Like after I started transitioning I went from being 25 and looking 35 to being and looking 25, which is honestly pretty cool.

      But that much? Hell no