Forever young and beautiful

The most popular procedures among young people are for eyes, nose and facial contours, including jawline, forehead, and chin. [Photo By Yang Dong/For China Daily]

Xue Zhiqiang, a senior cosmetic surgeon at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, says the Chinese cosmetic surgery market is growing rapidly, and he marvels at young people's open-mindedness on the matter.

"Young people are definitely becoming the largest group in China who undergo cosmetic operations," he says.

"For them, cosmetic surgery is as much a legitimate means of enhancing their charm as makeup is, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about if others know they have had operations."

Most of his clients are under 30, and more than 80 percent are under 28, he says.

Chinese tend to have flatter faces, thinner and longer eyes, and flatter breasts than do Westerners. Under the influence of Western culture, Chinese young people's conception of beauty has changed, and many are willing to have nonsurgical and surgical procedures in order to better comply with such aesthetics.

Online discussion

The most popular procedures among young people are for eyes, nose and facial contours, including jawline, forehead, and chin, he says.

Also, young people are very open to show and talk about their cosmetic surgery experiences online and with friends and family offline.

There are numerous forums and online platforms for people to do so, and the popularity of social media among young people, on which people often post photos, also stokes the desire of young people to look better, Xue says.

Some people have cosmetic procedures to advance their careers or to improve relationships and social life, while others just feel better in themselves if they are, he says.

While most of those who have cosmetic surgery in China are females, more and more males have also become aware of the possibilities.

Jin Xing, the CEO of SoYoung, says that in 2013 about 10 percent of SoYoung users were men, and the figure is now 17 percent.