Pretty hurts? Cosmetic surgery hot summer trend among students

A woman looks into the mirror at a cosmetic surgery hospital in Jiangxi province. (File photo / www.jjxw.cn)

Cosmetic surgery is hot among Chinese students as the summer holiday commences, but the plastic trend is also spurring controversy due to its risks.

The country's "correction and alteration" industry gained attention when the Xijing Cosmetic Surgery Hospital in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was reported last week to have received more than 400 clients daily since the beginning of July, double the amount of the pre-holiday period. Students account for over 80 percent of the total, according to Sun Feng, a surgeon with the hospital.

Similar trends were reported in Changsha, capital of Hunan, with scores of students expressing the desire to have double eyelid surgery and nose jobs, among other procedures, hoping to get an edge in their future job hunts or to look more confident at university, according to an investigation by Xinhua reporters.

In a race to snare as many student clients as possible, plastic surgery hospitals in China are rolling out advertisements that appeal to students.

Many tout their "reshaping" ads, particularly the "ROK (Republic of Korea)-style" surgeries, with images of ROK pop stars to lure students, according to Xiao Muzhang, a professional surgeon from the plastic surgery department of Changsha-based Xiangya Hospital affiliated with Central South University.

"Such ads have effectively helped prompt a spike in the number of our student clients," Xiao told Xinhua.

HOT HOLIDAY FAD FOR STUDENTS

Summertime in China usually means more free time for high school and college students, and an increasing number of them are taking time out to jump on the surgical enhancement bandwagon.

In Changsha, cosmetic surgery ads can be found on billboards, television, in cinemas and newspapers -- a common tactic by cosmetic agencies to grab a bite of the summer's booming young market.

A cosmetic surgeon in Changsha said that his hospital has started a sales promotion this month allowing clients with student cards to enjoy discounts of up to 6,000 yuan ($960) for cosmetic surgeries.

Most students come for minor alterations in their physical appearance. Such non-radical operations include double eyelid surgery and nose jobs, according to sources with multiple cosmetic clinics in the city.

A student surnamed Luo, who just took the Gaokao, China's national college admission test, recently had surgery to get "creased" eyelids.

"It's just a minor change, and people should not freak out about it," Luo said.