The plastic surgery boom in China has taken some wild turns — like scanning your face and being told you’re still not pretty enough, even after 100 procedures. But there I was — staring at a glowing screen, being told my chin needed work. Again.
She’s one of China’s earliest influencers in the plastic surgery space. And also someone who, at 35, has gone under the knife more than a hundred times. Her journey started when she was just 14.
When Confidence Comes with a Scalpel
Back then, Abby had just finished hormone treatment for a medical issue. The side effect? A rapid weight gain — 20 kilos in two months.
For a teen studying drama, that change wasn’t just physical. It was career-threatening.
Her drama coach didn’t hold back: “You were our star. But now? You need to lose the weight or quit.”
So her mom took her to get liposuction.
Abby still remembers what she was told that day at the clinic.
“Be brave. When you come out, you’ll be beautiful.”
But the beauty came with trauma. Partial anesthesia. Fully conscious. Watching fat and blood leave her body.
And that was just the beginning.
A Culture Shift in the Mirror
Fast forward to now, Abby co-owns a beauty clinic in central Beijing and is the face of a booming industry.
Plastic surgery in China isn’t taboo anymore. It’s normalized. In 2023 alone, over 20 million procedures were performed — 80% on women, most in their twenties.
Once, the beauty ideal was a strange fusion: K-pop softness, Western symmetry, anime innocence. But now? It’s even more surreal.
Think:
- Botox behind the ears (to pull them forward for a smaller face illusion)
- Eye surgeries inspired by cartoon heroines
- Lip shortening for a more “youthful” look
It’s a kind of curated femininity that exists more comfortably on filtered screens than in real life. And apps like SoYoung are feeding the frenzy — scanning faces, pointing out “flaws”, and suggesting nearby clinics. (For a fee, of course. It kinda reminds me of how memes became political tools online — everything starts as fun, then spirals into something deeper. I wrote about that here.)
Even Abby, with all her experience, isn’t spared.
“It says I have under-eye bags and should fix my chin. But I’ve already done that. Twice.”
The Business of Insecurity
The rise in demand means one thing: more clinics. But not all of them are safe.
A 2019 report estimated that 80,000 clinics in China were operating without a license. Many so-called professionals didn’t have proper training. Mistakes? Common. Regrets? Constant.
Take Yue Yue, a 28-year-old who got illegal fillers from a friend. Her face hardened like cement. Subsequent “fixes” only made things worse — accidental tissue removal, visible scars, distorted features.
Then there’s Gao Liu, a popular actress whose botched nose job at a licensed clinic led to tissue death and the end of her career. The surgeon wasn’t even fully certified at the time.
In many cases, clinics shut down after scandals… only to reopen under new names — often at the same address, with the same staff.
When Beauty Comes with Debt
Here’s where it gets darker.
Some young women are lured with job offers — only to be told they’ll need surgery first.
Da Lan applied to be a “beauty consultant” at a Chengdu clinic. She got the job. The next morning, her boss gave her an ultimatum: get a double-eyelid surgery or lose the position.
She had an hour to decide.
They took her phone, applied for a loan in her name, falsified her income, and got the approval in minutes. By noon, she was prepped for surgery. By evening, she was in debt.
That’s how fast it happens. Job → Loan → Operation. All within 24 hours.
Spoiler: the job didn’t last.
Filters, Friends, and a Face You Can’t Undo
On a breezy day in Beijing, Abby sits at a café with two friends. Their phones are out. Filters on. They edit their faces before posting selfies.
When asked which facial feature they like most, the table falls silent. Eventually, someone jokes: “I guess… my earlobes?”
They talk about lip lifts, jaw reductions, chin implants. Abby says her nose job is now too old (it’s six years old, by the way) — but her skin isn’t stretchy enough for another one.
“You can’t give a doctor just enough fabric for a vest and expect a wedding dress,” she says with a laugh.
But the joke doesn’t fully land. The wear and tear is real. So is the pressure.
And still, she adds:
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I want to be beautiful. More beautiful.”
So… What Do We Do With All This?
Honestly, I don’t have a clean conclusion.
Apps are rating our faces. Clinics are selling transformations with hidden costs. And beauty itself feels more like a moving target — one shaped by screens, not reality.
But maybe the real question is this:
If a face is always a “work in progress,” when does the progress stop?
