China's Booming Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Broken Dreams?

The Chinese plastic surgery industry is experiencing a boom, particularly among millennials, with a growing number of young women seeking cosmetic procedures. This surge is influenced by social media, which creates appearance anxiety, and a competitive market. Despite improved safety standards from the industry's early days, concerns persist about clinics prioritizing profit over patient health and practitioners lacking proper qualifications.

In response, Beijing has initiated stringent regulations and state media campaigns to highlight the risks of cosmetic surgeries and injections. Measures include banning advertisements that induce appearance anxiety and strengthening qualification reviews. Social media platforms are actively cleaning up content related to medical aesthetics, and authorities are investigating exploitative intermediary agents and unaccredited training courses. The market, expected to reach $42 billion by 2025, reflects a significant cultural shift towards aesthetic interventions.