Life after cosmetic surgery

Some people are addicted to cosmetic surgery and can not stop finding new ways to alter their appearance. This behavior is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to psychologists. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Zhang Meili, 24, can't take her eyes off her mirror. Staring back at her was another person instead of the girl she had been seeing before. Here was a small, button nose, pouting lips, apple cheeks, and large, sparkling eyes with double eyelids. Each of these body parts was perfect and were pieced together to make a new, artificial face.

The face was created by plastic surgeons during a series of operations that lasted a total of two years. Zhang was based in Beijing, but had to travel back and forth between other cities, including Ji'nan, Shandong Province and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province to get cosmetic surgeries.

"At first, I feared what I would do if the surgeries failed," Zhang said. "But because they were all successful and my life was changed due to my newfound confidence, I became increasingly more emboldened. What I am feeling now is only happiness and excitement."

According to a report released by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) in January 2014, 15 million people had undergone some form of plastic surgery in the world in 2011. While the country with the most citizens enthusiastic about the idea of cosmetic surgery is South Korea, with one in 77 people having done it, China ranks number three in the world. There, an average of 1.05 million people a year get plastic surgery.

In recent years, the Internet in China has played a role among younger generations in the subject of good appearances. The idea that "everything is judged by the face" is one of the hottest topics on the Internet, generating more than 2 million comments on China's leading microblog, Sina Weibo. Every day, Net users come up with memes and jokes around this idea, creating a culture that has subsequently played a part in the decisions of women like Zhang to improve their appearance.

"I think cosmetic surgery changed me a lot in almost all aspects of life," Zhang said. "Before, I always doubted it was so important for people to be good-looking, but now, I have confirmed through my own experience that it indeed is."

Life-changing surgery

The first procedure Zhang did was a nose job. Her nose was cut open and surgeons inserted a nasal implant in the tip to make it more plump. After that, she received a botox injection in her masseter, or chewing, muscles to reduce their size, and a hyaluronic acid injection in her forehead and jaw.

Zhang said she had been debating whether or not to get aesthetic plastic surgery for awhile, but the main factor in helping her make her decision was a Korean TV show called "Let Me In." Each episode of the popular series features a person's experience getting plastic surgery. The protagonists are shown to have had a miserable life and an extreme lack of confidence before their surgery, but afterwards, they become more attractive and their life changes for the better.

"The most impressive episode of the show featured a woman who had a strange-looking jaw," Zhang said. "Of course, the people featured on the show were kind of too ugly to be 'ordinary,' but I loved the sharp contrast in the before-and-after photos."

The woman in Zhang's favorite episode was shown to have smoothly found a new job with higher pay, made more friends, and dumped her ex-boyfriend, who had been making fun of her old appearance. Of course, she reportedly found a new, more handsome one soon after.

Zhang said that although "it is just a show and maybe kind of exaggerated," "Let Me In" is reflective of her own life, which was also changed after cosmetic surgery. Just not as much as in the show, she said.

"I was not that ugly before the surgery," she said.

Zhang said the most welcome improvement after her cosmetic alterations was her increased confidence.