Going under the knife in China’s plastic surgery stampede

A doctor in a plastic surgery hospital in Shanghai taking measurements during a consultation. Plastic surgery is booming in China, fuelled by rising incomes, growing Western influences and the imperative of looking good on social media. Photo: AFP

CHEN Yan is 35 and fears middle age is upon her, so like all of her friends in Shanghai she sees cosmetic surgery as the solution: time to get a new nose.

Plastic surgery is booming in China, fuelled by rising incomes, growing Western influences, and the imperative of looking good on social media.