A Brazillian bodybuilder who had gained a large following on TikTok has died after self-injecting synthol.
The bodybuilder, who had over one million followers on TikTok, was using synthol injections for years despite risking strokes and infections to produce hulking biceps, pectorals and back muscles, the Daily Mail reported.
According to Europe PubMed Central, synthol is a substance used by bodybuilders as a temporary implant which is injected deeply into the muscle.
Valdir Segato, 55, reportedly wanted to have a physique like actor Arnold Schwarzenegger or the Marvel character Hulk.
According to the Daily Mail, in 2017 Segato could've faced amputation or at the very least nerve damage and muscle disfigurement if he continued to use the injections to bulk himself up.
He reportedly did not care though and liked the social media attention he received about his muscles.
"They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man all the time and I like that. I've doubled my biceps but I still want to be bigger," he said.
Despite having a large following on social media, Segato did not have many friends or family supporting him in recent years.
Moisés da Conceição da Silva, who knew Segato, had rented a property in Ribeirao Preto, southeast Brazil, told Globo his mother rushed the bodybuilder to a medical facility, UPA, but he couldn't be saved.
"They put him in the car and then the neighbour went to the UPA. He arrived at the UPA, he fell at the reception, having a heart attack. I think he had a heart attack," da Silva told the news website.
Da Silva's brother Jadson da Conceição told Globo that it wasn't the first time the bodybuilder had been rushed to hospital but this time there was no saving him.
