Cases of malpractice have occurred in China's fast-growing cosmetic surgery market, calling for regulation in the business.
A woman surnamed Huang from southwestern Chengdu City is one of the most recent victims of the popular practice. She is still struggling with the result of a cosmetic surgery that turned out to be a nightmare. In February, she went to a local clinic for a collagen injection in the forehead, but she experienced adverse reactions soon after the operation started.
"Suddenly, I felt it was hard for me to open my left eye. I looked into a mirror and found that the eye was seriously congested. My forehead also turned green," Huang recalled the moment in an interview with CGTN.
The doctor explained that it might be because she was too nervous and a bit allergic to the anesthetic, and asked her not to panic, Huang revealed.
"But I felt dizzy after a few minutes and began to vomit. Then the doctor left without giving any treatment," she said, adding that her blood pressure later rose to a life-threatening level.
Huang developed skin necrosis in her forehead and is now seeking remedial treatment from experts across the country. She claimed that the clinic didn't inform her of any potential risks prior to the surgery and accused the doctor of acting carelessly during the process.
Huang showed CGTN a written apology from the cosmetic clinic. However a compensation plan is still up in the air.
"I never thought I would pay so much money and end up disfiguring myself. I have not been able to meet people since it happened," she said.
This is not an isolated case. Gao Liu, an actress, put herself in the limelight after sharing a post on China's popular social media website Weibo last month, saying her nose was damaged after a surgery failed in a clinic in southern city of Guangzhou.
"Don't believe those agencies without related qualifications," she warned in the post.
In an extreme case, last year, a 21-year-old woman from Jiangsu Province died during a plastic surgery on her breasts, nose and lips.
Behind the mounting disputes, undoubtedly, is a booming beauty surgery market. A report by Deloitte Consulting shows that the market scale in China has climbed from about $10 billion in 2015 to some $27 billion in 2019, leading the world's growth in the industry.
"Our business increased by some 20% last year when almost all sectors were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. We've provided more than 30,000 clients with safe and professional services over the past five years," said Qiu Fengshun, General Manager of the Chengdu-based Radiance Medical Cosmetic Hospital.
An employee of the listed brand Bravou told CGTN that they've also witnessed a surge of clients in recent years, mostly women between 20 and 35 years old who want to boost their career this way. Observers say this reflects the growing anxiety among young people about their looks.
A woman receives a botox injection in a clinic in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Luo Caiwen/CGTN
Data shows that there are approximately 13,000 licensed agencies in the business nationwide. But bad apples exist in all businesses and the cosmetic surgery market is no exception. Earlier this month, law enforcement officers in Chengdu uncovered malpractices like illegal beauty centers and use of expired products, among others.
"We'll make greater efforts to crack down on disorderly practices and impose stringent punishment accordingly, urging the agencies to operate in line with related laws and regulations," Zhao Lin, a law enforcement officer of the city, told CGTN.
Chengdu is among the cities where cosmetic surgery business has developed rapidly under local government's support. Official data shows that it now has about 550 licensed cosmetic surgery agencies. Local authorities have also tightened supervision over the market in recent years in line with the call from the top regulators.
Last year, the National Health Commission and seven other ministerial-level departments jointly issued a circular on how to further strengthen supervision and law enforcement over cosmetic surgery market, detailing responsibilities of related parties, including the institutions that provide such services, industry associations and government agencies.
The document said law enforcement organs should severely crack down on illegal cosmetic surgery practices by "combining administrative punishment and criminal justice." It underlined that "all medical agencies and practitioners have to put medical quality and safety in the first place."
Law enforcement officers have an investigation at a beauty salon suspected of conducting illegal medical practices. Zhang Kai/CGTN
Industry insiders say more can be done to further regulate the business.
Li Zhengyong, an aesthetic surgery doctor from the West China Hospital, said the whole industry should strengthen self-discipline and conduct mutual supervision.
"Meanwhile, public hospitals with the expertise should proactively join the market by coordinating with investors interested in this industry and take the lead in creating a healthy environment. This will gradually weed out the disqualified market players," said Li, who is also the Secretary-General of the Sichuan Provincial Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery.
Li said the Chinese market still has much room for growth, and consumers should be confident in better regulated services.
(Luo Caiwen and Zhang Kai also contributed to this story.)