WUNRN
CHINA - BOOM IN PLASTIC SURGERY -
WOMEN
A Beijing doctor works on a woman who wanted a new jaw line and chin.
In 2009, China ranked third in the humber of cosmetic surgeries. NY Times
March 21, 2012 - Editor: Sun Xi
A few middle
aged women are sitting on a bench outside the observation room at noon in the
Medical Center of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetology at a hospital in
Unlike most of the other patients in the hospital, the women are there
voluntarily and are technically not even patients as most of them are very
healthy. But they have each chosen to undergo painful procedures in the name of
beauty.
They are part of the new cosmetic surgery craze sweeping
In its most recent global survey, the International Society of Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) revealed that
According to the New York Times,
It is worth noting that
Chinese Plastic Surgery: A History
The roots of cosmetic surgery in
During the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the War to Resist US Aggression
and Aid Korea (1950-1953), China's plastic surgery field made tremendous
achievements in burns recovery, facial plastic surgery and reconstruction. The
field seemed poised to continue growing.
However the next period of history saw the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
happen and plastic surgery was denounced for its 'bourgeois' attention to form
over function. People were not encouraged to pursue a sense of beauty. Men and
women wore the same loose uniforms of gray or dark-blue and any feminine display,
such as long hair, makeup or jewelry was strictly forbidden. The industry
foundered under such stifling conditions. Aside from deformity correction
procedures, plastic surgeries all but disappeared until the reform and opening
up phase of the country's history.
In the mid-1980s, cosmetic surgery began to see a revival in the country. The
major procedures were skin whitening and smoothing and removal of moles and
freckles.
Corrective and surgical procedures were gradually developed. Perhaps reflecting
the influence of Western ideals, 'double eyelid' surgery became popular to add
an extra fold above the eyes, a naturally occurring characteristic in many
races but which occurs in only a minority of Chinese people.
This was followed by nose implants to increase the height of the nose bridge.
Breast augmentation was not nearly as popular as in the
Compared to its previous role of providing disfigured war victims with an
improved appearance, plastic surgery was like icing on top of the cake for
people of the rapidly modernizing
Perhaps because of this, many people longed to try but were worried about
potential criticism from friends and family.
Xu Hongxia, director of the Laser Cosmetic Surgery Center of People's
Liberation Army (PLA)
In the 1990s, plastic surgery gained acceptance but still existed on the
fringes of society as people were unable to understand or accept it.
Zhou Xiaolin, director of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the
The industry's spring did not arrive until the 21st century, when entertainers
began to get their minor problems 'fixed' and then kept silent about it.
Advances in media eventually led to plastic surgery amongst celebrities coming
into the spotlight and people began to feel reassured about it. The general
consensus was: If a celebrity can do it, so can we.
The Growth of A Lucrative Industry
In pursuit of beauty, many people have chosen to endure the pain of going under
the knife. The industry now offers all sorts of dazzling cosmetic procedures
such as skin rejuvenation, wrinkle elimination, eye bag removal and the
perennial favorite, breast implants.
In 2010, the value of
By the end of 2011, mainland
The beauty economy has become the fourth largest consumption hot spot following
housing, vehicles, and tourism.
Who Is Getting Nipped and Tucked?
Xu says that the number of people seeking cosmetic surgery is expanding rapidly
and now covers all strata of society.
"In the past, people who wanted to be in the entertainment industry such
as drama, dance and performing art school students were the main customers due
to their career requirements. But now people consider their self-image
improvements very seriously and will do it if economic conditions permit,"
she said.
As for the age range, she says that the majority of those who go under the
knife are women in their 40s. "They are facing menopause and beginning to
show signs of aging. Coupled with social pressure or family crises, they tend
to lose their identity. A variety of factors leads to their desire for
beauty," Xu said.
Of them, there are many high income entrepreneurs and housewives who usually
have their first cosmetic surgery procedure in their 30s.
In addition to the factors of age, employment is also stimulating the
prosperity of the cosmetic surgery market.
Faced with a brutal job market, many female graduates are considering giving
more than just their resumes a facelift. In pursuit of an ideal job, many young
Chinese women are resorting to medical plastic surgery to gain an edge over
their competitors.
Every November is peak season for college senior students getting plastic
surgeries as they want to be fully-recovered before the job-hunting season
begins in April and May.
While admittedly drastic, the even more extreme cases choose to reshape their
bones, electing for cosmetic height increase, also known as limb lengthening
procedure. In a country where height is associated with privilege, limb
lengthening is a legal procedure. The risks are extremely high as the procedure
entails osteotomy—sawing off the leg bones and stretching the legs to allow the
bones to grow.
According to relevant findings, college students have become the second largest
group of cosmetic surgery customers in China. About 60% underwent cosmetic
procedures to enhance their job prospects.
Not Just the Women
It's not only women that are undergoing cosmetic surgery. The percentage in
plastic surgery has risen in men as well.
Statistics show that the proportion of men receiving plastic surgery procedures
has almost doubled in China. Men account for about 10% of the total plastic
surgery procedures performed and more than 90% of them are engaged in
client-facing occupations.
While men seem to have tried almost all the female cosmetic surgery procedures
on offer, they tend to focus on the chin, nose and under-eye bags as half of
those undergoing plastic surgery were fixing their noses and chins.
The male plastic surgery craze can also be traced to the rise of celebrity
culture and male beauty culture subverting more traditional gender norms.
The new culture has generated all kinds of popular men's beauty contests, male
skin care lines and professional beauty institutions. Regardless if the overall
aim is improved job prospects or simply a better physical appearance, men are
definitely growing more concerned about their appearance.
In certain countries, male cosmetic surgery has long seen an upsurge. According
to media reports in the United States, about 130,000 men received plastic
surgery procedures in 2002, an increase of 25% over 2001. In South Korea, 20%
of men have undergone cosmetic surgery. In Thailand, male plastic surgery has
doubled from 10 years ago. In Japan, people consider plastic surgery as
integral a part of image presentation as buying clothes. Many Japanese company
chief executives undergo face-lift procedures almost every year. In Latin America,
10 % of people undergoing plastic surgery are men and of them, 30% are
Brazilians.
It is common in mainland China for male celebrities to check into hospitals for
plastic surgery accompanied by their personal managers. In 2008, there appeared
a number of celebrity face imitators. For instance, good-looking Taiwanese
singer and actor Nicholas Tse set off a frenzy of men requesting for their
plastic surgeons to mould their faces to look like his.
Aside from people in the entertainment industry, many men in their 40s with
successful careers and active social lives also go for plastic surgery to
remove the bags under their eyes. Such procedures have long been around and
have fast recovery rates, boosting their social acceptance.
In addition, like their female counterparts, hopeful male jobseekers are also
turning to plastic surgery, especially those seeking client-facing positions.
These new-age young men consider it a paving stone to their future.
However, men also tend to differ from women when it comes to cosmetic surgery.
Men usually have a clear purpose when it comes to going under the knife. They
tend to do it to correct defects and have a good awareness of the risks
involved. In contrast, more women tend to undergo enhancing cosmetic surgeries
to improve rather than correct their physical features.
The survey also shows that Chinese men hold a more cautious attitude towards
cosmetic surgery.
Adopting A Western Aesthetic
Different human races have different facial features and standards of beauty.
However, the trends in Chinese cosmetic surgery show a clear tendency to favor
the large eyes, high noses and clear-cut chins of the Western beauty ideal.
Professor Kim Yang-woo, from the medical center of Ewha Women's University in
South Korea, said that there is no universal standard of beauty as every
country and race has its own ideas of what is beautiful.
In his view, the comparative racial diversity in North America as compared to
China has led to a parallel diversity in beauty standards. While Chinese people
all seem to value the same facial features such as fair skin, large eyes and
small, high noses, Americans tend to value a wider variety of features.
"Caucasian facial features tend to be more three-dimensional with double
eyelids, deeply set eyes and high noses. Asian features tend to be wider, with
single-fold eyelids and flatter noses. Many plastic surgery procedures that are
popular in Asia are not necessary in Western countries. Due to the reasons of
economic and cultural development, many Asians admire Caucasian facial
features. Conversely, many Westerners think that Asian faces are softer and
gentler," he said.
As Western countries focus their developmental efforts on equipment, backed by
the Industrial Revolution and an emphasis on research and development, Chinese
and South Korean cosmetic surgeons have worked on perfecting their surgical
technique.
"Using equipment runs a smaller risk but higher cost. And the effect is
not as good as surgery. You might have to undergo ten equipment treatments to
achieve the effects of one surgery," Xu said.
It is useless to deny that we live in a world that puts a premium on physical
beauty. As Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy once said: "I am sure that
nothing has such a decisive influence upon a man's course as his personal
appearance, and not so much his appearance as his belief in its attractiveness
or unattractiveness."
In this case, a little bit of suffering and a certain amount of money might
reap you plenty of life benefits.
(Source: insight.inewsweek.cn/Translated and edited by womenofchina.cn)