Ban minors from plastic surgery, lawmakers say
Guangzhou moves to pass first law to prevent image-obsessed under-18s going under knife
Guangzhou wants to ban minors from having cosmetic surgery under draft rules aimed at curbing the nation's growing obsession with going under the knife.
The rules have been drawn up as concerns grow about the dangers of plastic surgery in a country where three million people have operations each year to change their appearances, according to state media.
If passed later this year, the law will require parents of minors to consent to any cosmetic surgery for medical reasons performed on their children, a statement on the city's official website said.
"If approved, the regulation will be the first rule that has addressed the issue of plastic surgery for under-18s in China," medical lawyer Zhao Yin told the state-run China Daily newspaper yesterday, adding that she hoped the laws would be rolled out across the country. The regulations for Guangzhou would come into force early next year.
Beauty experts say young people are turning to plastic surgery as they become more obsessed with their appearance.
"Cities nationwide have seen younger and younger people undergoing plastic surgery in recent years," Yang Jianguang , a law professor at Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou told the newspaper.