Forever young and beautiful

Millions of people in China－predominantly women－h(huán)ave had surgery in pursuit of beautiful looks. [Photo by Feng Haiyong/For China Daily]

You don't need wrinkles to qualify for plastic surgery. The demographics of those going for a new look are themselves undergoing a makeover

When Xiao Di, 22, went under the knife last year to have her face changed, she was already a veteran of cosmetic surgery, having had a suture inserted to give her double eyelids when she was 18.

However, over three years those eyelids had become increasingly irksome to her, her main complaint being that they were obviously artificial. Other features of her face bothered her, too.

"It's obvious I wasn't blessed with good looks," says Xiao, of Beijing, whose name has been changed for this story.

"I didn't need to summon up courage or need time to decide whether to have cosmetic surgery. If it's going to make you look good, why not go for it?"

During her first year in college she asked her parents to pay for more cosmetic surgery, but they refused, saying it was unnecessary and too risky. Undeterred, she kept pestering them, and they finally came around to the idea during her fourth year in college.

This was to be an operation of no half measures, one that would redo those pesky eyelids and would give her wider eyes, a higher nose bridge and what she considers a better shaped face, one with a pointed chin.

Xiao declares herself pleased with the result, saying that earlier she would have given herself no more than 3 points out of 10 for looks but now would give herself 7 out of 10.

And yet she is still not totally satisfied and looks forward to more surgery, including having her breasts enlarged.