Plastic surgery industry hits $15B a year in China as women seek Western looks
(NewsCore) - Plastic surgery in China is now a $15 billion a year industry, as women unhappy with their Asian appearance increasingly go under the knife to get a Western look.
Until the 1980s, cosmetic surgery was banned by China's Communist government, but it exploded as the nation's wealth increased.
The most popular procedure in China is something known as "double eyelids," according to surgeons. The operation begins with a thin layer of fat being sliced from above the eye and is completed with a crease being stitched into the socket -- which makes eyes appear less Asian and more European.
Other common procedures include nose enlargements, jawbone reshaping and liposuction on the cheeks.
"Foreigners think that the Chinese all have flat faces and small eyes because that's what our race looks like," said plastic surgeon Dr. Shi Sanba, the founder of a high-end Beijing clinic. "But now that China's getting richer, people are no longer satisfied with their appearance. We think Westerners are more beautiful."
Shi, who had more than 60 operations herself, said she liked to experiment with new techniques on her own face before recommending them. Her clients include the wives of government officials and a host of celebrities.
But China was recently stunned by the news that well-known singer Wang Bei died on the operating table during an operation to have her jaw reshaped. Wang's mother, who was also undergoing cosmetic surgery in the same hospital, woke up to hear that her daughter choked to death on her own blood.
China's blossoming market economy is short on regulation and lax on enforcement, which led to thousands of other women falling victim to surgical errors. And for unscrupulous doctors, the cosmetic industry remains a money-making opportunity where even disastrous surgeries are unlikely to come with legal consequences.
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