Plastic Surgery Trend Has 500+ Government Officials Under the Knife

Plastic surgery trend is evident in Chinese government officials. Can the height and weight requirements many Chinese job postings specify be a factor?

Is vanity, or something more surprising, affecting the Chinese government? Reports say that more than 500 government officials undergo cosmetic surgery, annually.

Dr. Chen Huanran of Beijing’s Union Medical College explained that many more politicians are having plastic surgery to look youthful for appearances in public and on television. He said that at least 20 percent of his patients are government officials – often between the ages of 40 and 60. Among them, Dr. Chen said, the most popular procedure is the eyelid lift, along with Botox injections and wrinkle fillers. At the same time, many of them prefer to have their surgeries at remote clinics, and often at night. This helps keep their cosmetic changes as secretive as possible.

Dr. Chen also said many of these government officials try to undergo plastic surgery during holidays or in between times of official business.

“Lots of publicity and marketing companies also give plastic surgery as gifts to government figures and the bosses of state-owned companies, as well as to their wives,” sources quoted him saying.

Sources also cite Xinhua, China’s official government news agency, in reporting that revenues for plastic surgery are currently growing at a rate of 20 percent each year. Much of this demand appears to relate to China’s competitive job market. More and more career hopefuls are undergoing cosmetic procedures to look younger, to have “perfect” facial symmetry – or to even be taller, thanks to advancements in leg lengthening.

A major cause of this surge could be the fact that many job ads in China include physical requirements for height and weight. Technically, Chinese labor laws don’t forbid the announcement of such requirements, and so many employers include them. The result? Plastic surgery now affects the entire populace – from the government heads down to ordinary workers.