More than ever going under knife

By Xu Fan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-23 09:09

People chose holiday period to face up to improving their appearance

Plastic surgery procedures have doubled in Beijing this year, according to a prominent clinic that also claims the bulk of its customers don't need it.

Nancy Li undergoes plastic surgery for the removal of a mole at a clinic in Jian Wai Soho yesterday.

Wang Jing

"They are young, good-looking and shapely, but never satisfied. They want to be perfect," said Ding Xiaobang, director of the outpatient department of the plastic surgery hospital PUMC in Guomao.

Ding's clinic is considered one of the best in Beijing and employs the current chairman of the Beijing Plastic Surgery Association.

He said the belief that cosmetic surgery only appeals to unattractive or middle-aged people is no longer true. The 'rich second generation' is now the group to watch.

Ding said the number of customers to his clinic hit 240 between last Thursday to Sunday - the public holiday period running from the fourth to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year - twice the amount of last year.

He said that around 60 percent of his clients are the children of affluent families and most are frequent visitors.

Nancy Li, 21, an attractive woman who might catch the eye of passersby, was nervous as she prepared to undergo mole removal surgery yesterday as her wealthy mother waited outside.

Li, whose mother owns a tea company, said many of her friends use the clinic that she has also been a member of for two years.

Despite the popularity though, there is still a certain taboo associated with cosmetic surgery, according to Ding.

"Sometimes, it is really funny. They want to stay low-profile and contact me in secret ways," he said.

"Some get their assistants to ask me to meet them in cafs. Then they try to schedule the operation for dusk when we have few clients around," Ding added.

He said young, attractive female clients with their eyes on marrying billionaires often have special requirements to improve their appearance.

"Based on Chinese fortune-telling theory, ladies with shapely cheeks are said by some southern rich families to promote good luck," Ding added.

The trend toward beautiful people becoming more beautiful by cosmetic tinkering is not new to experienced doctors.

Chen Yunze, associate chief physician with the plastic surgery department of Peking University Third Hospital, said more than 90 percent of his patients are "above average" in terms of looks.

"Actually, it's a very common phenomenon for the plastic surgery industry. We hardly ever see really ugly people," Chen said.

He added that most young people prefer to have surgery to give double-lines above the eye or sharper bridges on the nose.

However, according to Mirror Evening News, the most popular plastic surgery is breast enlargement, costing 14,000 to 16,000 yuan on average.

The article said blepharoplasty, referring to surgical modification of the eyelid, was listed third and priced at 3,000 yuan on average. Nose reconstruction was fourth at the same price.

The most popular cosmetic treatment without surgery is a botox injection, set between 2,000 and 3,500 yuan.

The number of botox injections and breast-implant operations during the Spring Festival holiday is usually double or triple the normal amount, key plastic surgery hospitals told METRO recently.

Operation records from Plastic Surgery Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital showed the peak level is roughly one week before the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Ding said women chose this period in order to have an opportunity to recover in the seven-day vacation.