Friday, December 16, 2011

Chinese turn to plastic surgery in growing numbers

But her jaw line? Too square for her taste. As the 22-year-old television reporter recently traveled from a coastal province to a private hospital in downtown Beijing that reshaped – for about $ 6000. Her boyfriend, a 29-year-old businessman wearing designer glasses, picked up the Bill.

"I'm not nervous," said the Devil (English first name she chose for himself, and the only thing she would reveal) as she awaited surgery at Evercare Aikang hospital in downtown Beijing. "I look more sophisticated and delicious."

The breathtaking pace of transformation for upwardly mobile Chinese-from bicycles to cars, the village to the city, between the holidays to ski vacation — now extends to faces. In just a decade become cosmetic and plastic surgery is the fourth most popular way to spend discretionary income in China, according to Ma Xiaowei, China's vice health minister. Only houses, cars and travel rank higher, he said.

No official figures exist, but the international society of aesthetic plastic surgery 2009 estimated that China ranked third, behind the United States and Brazil, with more than two million transactions annually. And the number of operations is doubling each year, Mr. Ma said at a conference organised by the Health Ministry in November.

"We must admit that the plastic and cosmetic surgery has now become a joint service aimed at the masses," he said.

Face lifts and Wrinkle-removal treatments are in vogue, as in the West. But at Evercare, who operates a chain of cosmetic surgery hospital in China, two-fifths of the patients are in their 20s, said Li Bin, general manager and co-founder.

Nationally, most requested operations have nothing to do with age: The No. 1 measure aims to make the eyes appear larger by adding a crease in the eyelid, which constitute what is called a double eyelid, said Zhao Zhenmin, General Secretary of the Government-run Chinese Association of plastic and aesthetics.

The second most popular operation raises the bridge of the nose so that the more prominent – opposite of job characteristic nose in the West. The third is the transformation of the jaw so that the narrower and longer, "he said.

Youthful patients include job applicants hope to boost their prospects in the labour force, teenagers who have had cosmetic surgery as a high school graduation present and middle school students, most of which want an eye job, said surgeons.

China's regulatory system, through all the sources have not kept. At the Conference in Beijing in November, Mr. Ma, Deputy health minister, said the situation ", also called neglect."

11 Clinics and hospitals are offering cosmetic or plastic surgery that has been inspected late last year, said he met less than half the national standards. Staff lacked professional credentials, "said he; equipment and materials was subpar. Beauty parlors are obvious violations, illegal administer Botox injections and perform eyelid surgery.

Mr. Ma was similar to the industry at a medical "emergency zone" with frequent accidents. His point was underlined when a 24-year-old former contestants on Chinese reality show "Super Girl" died after his windpipe filled with blood during an operation to transform her jaw in Hubei Province.

Health officials demanded an investigation. But Mr. Zhao, who also serves as Deputy Head of Beijing's Government-run plastic and cosmetic surgery hospital, said that it was impossible to gather evidence because the body was cremated soon – a standard in China when the hospital privately settle claims unfair.

-Personally, I think it's quite disgusting, "he said. "We have to get to the bottom of such cases to protect people in the future."

Shortcomings in China's medical system is hardly limited to cosmetics and plastic surgery. But the industry now generates an estimated 2.3 billion dollars in revenues, and the Government has begun to note. Officials say the new regulations will probably be issued this year.

An implicit goal is to stop the flow of Chinese patients to better established hospitals in South Korea. Mr. Ma estimates that Chinese account for 30% of cosmetic surgery patients in Seoul.

Now many beauty salons, as well as a downtown Beijing Branch of a major chain, capitalize on the lack of supervision. One recent afternoon, said a 62-year-old woman in a white coat who described herself as a doctor she could call a doctor who can give the visitor the double eyelids in 20 minutes, about $ 180, a fraction of the fee as a standard hospital.

"Immediately you will look different," she said.

Shi Da, Li Bibo, Zhang Jing and Jonathan Kaiman contributed research.

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