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Why is plastic surgery so popular in China?

Apps to analyse faces and book surgery are also becoming more popular.

China’s cosmetic surgery industry has exploded over the past decade and in turn, put even more pressure on young women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. On Chinese social media there are hundreds of filtered faces, extreme weight-loss hacks, and even apps that scan your face and let you book cosmetic surgery as easily as ordering a taxi.

BBC reporter Natalia Zuo, takes us through the culture in China and what she found out when working on a documentary for the BBC about the boom.

You can watch the documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaYSEWlHrGw

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden
Editor: Harriet Oliver

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13 minutes

Last on

Tue 29 Apr 2025 02:50GMT
BBC World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only

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  • Mon 28 Apr 2025 17:50GMT
    BBC World Service News Internet
  • Tue 29 Apr 2025 02:50GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only

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