Despite the existence of rules and regulations, the industry has become so lucrative that some beauty salons perform cosmetic procedures without the proper certification, Ma said.

Loose regulation of the plastic surgery industry has led to a surging number of botched operations and legal disputes.

A recent raid by health authorities on 11 cosmetic surgery clinics across China found that less than half met the national standards, he noted.

Moreover, those standards were set in 2002 and need to be updated, said Sun Jiaming, a Wuhan-based veteran cosmetic surgeon.

He recommended that those considering going under the knife check out their cosmetic surgeon's formal qualifications before they agree to go ahead with any procedures.

"Customers should take a rational approach to cosmetic surgery and be aware of the risks posed by going under the knife," he said.

Decades ago, according to Sun, nearly all of his patients had plastic surgery because they had been involved in accidents. "But now many of them come just to have a more beautiful face."

According to an online survey conducted by China Youth Daily in December, 71.5 percent of the poll's 2,600 respondents said today's social aesthetic values have led to a craze for plastic surgery.

To judge people by their appearance has now become a common practice in China and a pretty face can help give you a competitive edge, respondents said.