China's plastic surgery market is growing - and it's growing fast. The market is developing six times faster than the global average, when it comes to the number of people undergoing such treatment. Traditionally seen as a market for those in the entertainment business or those looking to fix something they don't like, it's now transforming into something else. Many mid-twenty-year old job seekers across the country are turning to cosmetic surgery, with hopes that it will help them get employed. CGTN's Grace Shao went to find out why the trend is taking off.

 

Laura Fan said photoshopping resume pictures isn't enough to grab a recruitment officer's attention anymore. Many young job seekers are now going beyond touch ups and make-up, and going for more permanent alterations.

 

LAURA FAN YOUNG PROFESSIONAL Let me tell you the truth. One of my HR has told me that the capabilities of the applicants' don't vary much, but if they have the same backgrounds they prefer the better looking one.

 

YU HAIFENG PLASTIC SURGEON Chinese consumers have more disposable income now, and the understanding of cosmetic procedures is becoming widespread. The desire to be attractive is universal but in China the demographic seeking treatment is slightly different from the west. First it's highs school graduates, then college graduates looking for jobs, and successful professionals who have the money for the treatment and wishes to erase the marks left behind by time.

 

In 2017, 14 million Chinese people are expected to receive some form of cosmetic surgery. The global figure is 34 million, meaning Chinese patients accounted for around 41% of the global total. In a new survey released by SoYoung, a Chinese cosmetics data platform, China is currently the world's third largest cosmetic surgery market, behind the U.S. and Brazil.

 

GRACE SHAO BEIJING Among these seeking treatment in China, more than half are born after the year of 1990, meaning they are under the young age of 25. This raises a question, where is the line? And is it ethical and socially acceptable to alter our faces for these reasons when western countries request job applicants to remove pictures, as well as details that may portray gender and age?

 

Procedures such as double eye-lid operations, face lifts, and eye widening are the most common, and are categorized as low risk surgeries, while jaw mutation, liposuction and breast implants have a much higher health risk. Many seek short-term gains in injections but these also have the risk of infection or overdose. But some may say the pain of going under the scalpel is well worth it.

 

LAURA FAN YOUNG PROFESSIONAL I did double eyelid surgery. My mother urged me to do it and after the surgery I got a new job and boyfriend. And all my friends and my boyfriend know about this. It's really common amongst my friends, most have done the same surgery.

 

It seems that job seekers have moved on from simple photo touch ups to more permanent alterations. So has this now become a new norm? Because figures are showing that the number of people seeking such treatments is, for a matter of fact, increasing in China. Grace Shao, CGTN, Beijing.