Tech Tycoon’s Anti-Aging Experiments Aimed At Making Death ‘Optional’ Takes Shocking Turn With Botched Facial Injections

The dream of staying forever young comes at some hefty costs.

Jesse

• Published in Weird
• November 20, 2024

Aging is like that sneaky guest who shows up uninvited, bringing laugh lines and gray hairs as party favors. Though it’s one of life’s few certainties, that hasn’t stopped humanity from waging a full-blown war against it. 

The quest for eternal youth has us doing everything from smearing snail slime on our faces to adopting TikTok slang in an effort to stay “hip.” 

For most of us, the pursuit is superficial—looking good for a selfie or keeping up with the younger crowd. But for others, like billionaire Bryan Johnson, it’s about fundamentally rewriting the rules of biology. 

The tech mogul isn’t just trying to look young — he wants to stop aging entirely. And he’s willing to spend millions (and endure the occasional catastrophic setback) to make it happen.

This 47-year-old billionaire from Utah is on a personal mission to make death “optional.” He spends a jaw-dropping $2 million annually on his anti-aging quest, and the experiments are as extreme as they are bizarre. 

His latest attempt to turn back time involved injecting facial fat to regain that youthful plumpness. The result? A “disturbing” allergic reaction that left him unable to see. Let’s dive into this unusual — and slightly chaotic — tale.

Bryan Johnson faces the unexpected side of biohacking

Bryan’s journey began in 2020 when his health was in “a pretty bad place.” He spent years toiling hard to build a payment company called Braintree, and his efforts paid off after selling it to PayPal for a whopping $800 million—but this major win came at the cost of his health. 

Overweight, stressed, and dealing with chronic health issues, he decided to turn his life into an experiment. This was the genesis of Project Blueprint—a meticulously designed system aimed at reversing biological aging. 

Bryan Johnson lounges post-procedure, determined to redefine the limits of the human body.

Guided by a team of 30 doctors, Bryan follows a regimented routine: he wakes at 4:30 AM, eats a precise 1,977-calorie vegan diet, exercises daily, and takes over 100 supplements to optimize his body’s functioning.

Bryan Johnson proving anti-aging isn’t just about lab experiments—it’s a full-body commitment.

The results, by the numbers, are astounding. Bryan claims to have slowed his aging process so dramatically that he only “ages” the equivalent of six months for every year he lives. He even boasts that his cardiovascular fitness ranks in the top 1.5% of 18-year-olds. 

Cheating death? Just another day in the life of the world's most measured human.

Prepped for another attempt at reversing the clock

And yet, for all the data points and biomarkers, there’s one glaring issue: no amount of internal health can make up for external aesthetics. Experts say facial volume is crucial for a youthful appearance, so Bryan turned to fat injections to bridge the gap.

But there was a catch: he didn’t have enough fat to spare, forcing him to use a donor’s fat. While his face eventually returned to normal, the setback highlighted just how risky his anti-aging experiments could be.

Perhaps the most headline-grabbing element of Bryan’s journey was his tri-generational blood-swapping procedure. In May 2023, Bryan traveled to Dallas with his 70-year-old father, Richard, and his 17-year-old son, Talmage, to participate in what can only be described as a family bonding experience straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Bryan Johnson takes the phrase ‘blood bonds’ to a whole new level with the tri-generational blood swap experiment

The process began with Talmage donating a liter of blood, which was separated into plasma, red and white blood cells, and platelets. This plasma, teeming with youthful vitality, was then transfused into Bryan’s veins. 

Liquid gold? Bryan Johnson proudly holds what could be the secret to his ambitious fight against aging

Bryan’s own plasma was then passed along to his father, completing the tri-generational circle. Bryan’s ultimate goal is nothing less than to make death optional. 

Not all heroes wear capes; some wear the results of bold experiments.

His vision involves a future where aging can be paused or even reversed, giving humans an “unknown horizon” of life expectancy. 

Bryan has been very open about his journey in the battle against mortality—and it’s not for the faint-hearted

While his experiments are controversial, his passion for challenging the limits of biology is undeniable. “Building a product is one thing; being the product is a whole different thing,” he remarked, acknowledging the personal risks involved.

Bryan’s glow-up—or glow-back? The internet weighed in, and polls revealed the crowd still loves the ‘OG’ Bryan from 2018. Guess biohacking can’t beat the classic look.

Despite his optimism, not everyone is sold on Bryan’s methods—or his results. When he posted a photo timeline on social media and asked followers to vote on when he “peaked,” most picked his 2018 look, sparking debate about whether his extreme efforts are worth the cost.

Not everyone’s on board with Bryan’s quest for eternal youth—some say there’s no shame in rocking your wrinkles.

"Sorry, but I don't feel bad. The price you pay for vanity and wanting to look young."

"Getting older is not irreversible."

"Nothing wrong with getting older. It's nature."

"Brian is doing us a favor by using himself as a guinea pig for all kinds of treatments."

For Bryan, his journey isn’t about public approval—It’s about rewriting what it means to be human.

Whether or not he succeeds in making death optional, one thing is certain: his story is redefining the boundaries of science, technology, and ambition in ways we’ve never seen before.

Jesse