Safety issues

A report by China Central Television (CCTV) said the industry reaps about 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) a year, prompting shady hospitals and beauty salons to provide surgical services to the detriment of patients' safety.

Wang Bei. Photo: CCTV.COM

Wang Bei's case is not an isolated one. A 48-year-old woman died of suffocation after undergoing a similar cosmetic procedure on her jaw at Rongjun Hospital in Beijing, the Global Times reported earlier.

"Facial bone grinding surgery is one of the most dangerous kinds of plastic surgery. It needs experienced doctors, anesthetists and support from specific facilities," Chen Huanran, a doctor in Beijing, told the Global Times.

However, when asked what qualifications were needed to be an attendant doctor, Wang Liangming, the surgeon of Wang Bei, said he did not know what those specific requirements were. "There are no absolute requirements," Wang, who majored in chest surgery, told CCTV.

Ma Xiaowei, vice minister of health, said on November 5 that the industry has been plagued by malpractice and accidents due to insufficient government supervision.

"The industry has relatively low requirements on medical techniques and operating equipment. However, potentially huge profits have lured many people to become practitioners without being responsible," Zhang said. "Even hair salons do illegal eyelid tucks for 300 yuan ($44.9), and no government department supervises them."

Some clauses in the law stipulate that certain operations cannot be done by beauty salons. However, there are no requirements regarding the experience of doctors who perform the surgeries.

"If a doctor who majored in nose surgery works on facial bones, that would be really dangerous," Zhang said.

The surgeons said people nowadays tend to judge people by appearance, a trend that has boosted the demand for plastic surgery.

"People who are addicted to plastic surgery are usually skeptical, over-sensational, and picky about themselves. They are extremely concerned about how other people perceive them," Geng said.

Zhang said plastic surgery is merely another way of treating psychological problems. "If more people could be rational, the industry would be much better."