Economy

Govt takes knife to cosmetic industry

By Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-11 10:30

Beijing - China will wage a national crackdown on unqualified medical cosmetology organizations following a young girl's death during cosmetic surgery, health authorities said on Dec 10.

On Nov 15, 24-year-old Wang Bei, a former talent show contestant, died during facial bone-grinding surgery in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, triggering public concern over the safety of China's medical cosmetology industry.

Deng Haihua, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said at a press conference on Dec 10 that China's medical cosmetology industry suffers many problems ranging from frequent medical accidents and unfair competition to the lack of proper supervision and qualified service.

Ma Xiaowei, vice-minister of health, said although China has elaborated the requirements on the staff and medical plastic organizations, there are still some medical organizations operating without certification, the Information Times reported on Dec 9.

Ma said a recent inspection of 11 plastic surgery organizations in some big cities found that fewer than half of them met national standards.

Liu Yi, a 27-year-old female worker in Beijing, told China Daily on Dec 10 that she always thought her face had a little baby fat and she tried many ways, such as eating little or doing facial massage, to get rid of the fat.

"I thought of plastic surgery, but seeing so many failed cases, I would rather have baby fat," she said.

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Every year more than 3 million people have plastic surgery in China and there are 50,000 cosmetic plastic organizations across the country with more than 200,000 staff, China Business Daily reported on Dec 6.

Medical plastic surgeries fail for more than 20,000 people every year, Beijing Television reported on Dec 10.

China has tried in the past decade to manage and supervise its medical cosmetology industry.

In 2001, the Ministry of Health issued regulations on the cosmetic plastic industry, elaborating the procedures of registration, certification of the staff and other requirements.

In 2009, the ministry introduced the categorization system for cosmetic surgeries and elaborated the scope of different medical organizations.

On Nov 5, Vice-Minister Ma said in a conference on the development of China's medical cosmetology industry in Guangzhou that a guideline for China's medical cosmetology industry should be finished as soon as possible.

China's demand for cosmetic surgery is growing rapidly with a yearly estimated value of 1.5 billion yuan ($220 million), China Business Daily reported.

Heavy pressure to get a job and desperate to be prettier are the main reasons for more people in China to undergo surgery, experts analyzed.

Yang Zhigang, director of the expert commission under the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, said that people should pursue inner beauty instead of physical charms.