A transgender woman in China who spent millions of yuan on plastic surgery only to end up with a deformed mouth has warned people of the potential risks of cosmetic procedures.
Wang Yafei, 22, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, who uses the name Meina online, has 2.2 million followers on Douyin.
She said she once faced ridicule from many online users due to her masculine features, prompting her to resort to plastic surgery in pursuit of common notions of beauty.
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In January, after having a jawbone reduction operation, her mother could not recognise her when she returned home.
On May 18, Meina posted a video in which she revealed she had spent a total of 1.3 million yuan (US$183,000) on plastic surgery, but suffered numerous complications.
“Now when I smile, my mouth is crooked and my eyes are uneven,” she said.
Her friend, known online as Taohua Baobao, who spent 2.4 million yuan on cosmetic procedures, also has issues.
“Due to excessive hyaluronic acid injections, my left eye nerve is compressed, causing constant twitching that cannot be controlled or cured,” she said.
“Plastic surgery carries risks. If it is not necessary, do not do it,” Meina said.
Taohua Baobao, also from Liaoning province, has 240,000 followers on Douyin. Her profile reads, “Becoming beautiful is my personal hobby.”
She revealed her eight-year cosmetic history, which involved more than 400 hyaluronic acid injections, including 200 into her forehead, causing it to sink and bulge when pressed.
On June 1, during a routine cosmetic procedure in Thailand, Taohua Baobao underwent another 400 hyaluronic acid injections for buttock enhancement, unfortunately leading to an infection. The medical practitioner clarified that the infection was a result of the hyaluronic acid interacting with previously administered cosmetic substances.
Plastic surgery is booming in China, with about 23.5 million patients estimated to have gone under the knife in 2023, according to a report by Chinese market research firm MobTech.
Many of the patients are young women influenced by the often unattainable beauty standards set by celebrities and internet personalities.
He Chengxi, from Guangdong province in southern China, spent 8 million yuan (US$1.1 million) over eight years to transform herself into her idol, Fan Bingbing, one of China’s most famous actresses.
Medical disputes in the cosmetic industry are rampant, with the Chinese market research company iResearch estimating that only 12 per cent of the 13,000 beauty clinics in China comply with legal regulations.
In February 2021, Chinese actress Gao Liu posted photos of her face on Weibo after cosmetic surgery, showing that part of her nose had turned black due to necrosis.
“I thought these four hours of surgery would make me even more beautiful, I did not realise it would be the beginning of a nightmare,” she wrote.
In January last year, a 43-year-old woman from Anhui province in eastern China died during a cosmetic fat-removal operation because of medical negligence.
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