Mi Yuanyuan. a company CEO from Zhejiang province, has a long scar on her forehead and has experienced other side effects after cosmetic surgery in a clinic in South Korea in 2013. (Photo by Feng Zhonghao/For China Daily)
Demand for cosmetic surgery is booming across Asia, especially in China. However, for some patients the fleeting dream of physical perfection has turned into a prolonged nightmare.
Every year, thousands of Chinese women travel to South Korea for plastic surgery in the hope it will produce the "perfect" appearance and transform their lives.
For some, their wishes are granted, but many find themselves distraught, lacking confidence and even suicidal as a result of badly performed operations and the side effects of the medication they have been prescribed.
Now, three of those women have banded together to raise awareness and warn potential patients of the risks they may face if they choose to go ahead with the procedures.
The women said they feel they were duped, and the deception is almost as hard to bear as the pain they suffer every day because of their disfigured faces.
Jin Weikun, 27, a professional style consultant, said she had been reduced to the status of a laboratory mouse after a series of failed operations, including "face contouring" and two procedures to alter the shape and size of her breasts.
Jin originally had breast reduction surgery at a clinic in Taiyuan, her hometown in Shanxi province, but was unhappy with the results because she felt the surgeons had left her breasts asymmetrical. When she complained, the clinic said it was unable to repair the "damage".
Jin researched operations designed to rectify asymmetric breasts, but was wary of proceeding because of the risks involved. However, her hopes were rekindled when she saw Bucket List, a TV show aired by KBS, South Korea's national broadcaster, which told the story of a woman who had successfully undergone surgery to correct a botched breast operation.
In late 2013, Jin saw ads canvassing participants for a purported sequel, Bucket List 2. The producers, who claimed to be working in association with Shanghai Television and clinics including JW Plastic Surgery Korea, were offering free surgery to 24 people unhappy with previous cosmetic procedures. Jin was convinced that the show would provide an opportunity to have the surgery that would turn her life around again.
Deception and sham
"Talking with the head of the JW clinic, I believed it had top-notch cosmetic techniques, and in January last year I flew to Seoul with 16 or so other women. I went ahead with the breast surgery, plus a further 12 operations on my face (at the insistence of the program's producers), based on the trust I placed in the show's recommendations for the clinic. That all turned out to be a sham.
"About a month after the surgery, when I began to feel everything was totally disorganized, I called Shanghai Television only to be told that they'd never heard of the show. The surgery on my breasts was a failure, my chin was lopsided, and an implant in my nose had been placed incorrectly."
The clinic rejected Jin's claims, saying the operations went well. The breast surgery had been successful, it said, and the lopsided chin was the result of an imbalance of soft tissue in Jin's face, rather than bone damage sustained during surgery.
Ge Lijun, a spokeswoman for JW Plastic Surgery Korea, confirmed the clinic had taken part in Bucket List 2, but she refused to vouch for the authenticity of the program. She claimed the show had been broadcast by a cable channel affiliated with STV, but that the Shanghai station had not commissioned it.
The clinic said it always advises potential patients to be cautious when mulling plastic surgery, to consult family members before making a decision, and to be prepared to accept the changes that will be made to their bodies.
Jin said she wonders if she was naive to believe the bona fides of TV programs she had regarded as documentaries, but which she now believes are essentially advertisements.
"I partly blame myself for making this reckless decision. I have discovered about 200 other Chinese women who have gone through similar things in South Korea, and I know that many faces have been ruined by the deficiencies in some clinics and by illegal operations in others, and also by unscrupulous medical brokers."
