Sky-high prices, risky operations, dodgy sales staff and frequent complaints from customers involving the mainland's plastic surgery industry were common before Liu Di launched his start-up company two years ago.
"To many people, it was very much a swindlers' industry," said Liu, 32, founder of Gengmei - which literally means "more beautiful" - the mainland's first mobile application that links users directly with doctors and surgeons working in the cosmetic beauty industry.
Despite the industry's poor reputation, demand for such services is growing rapidly.
The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a global body formed of plastic surgeons around the world, said China was the third-largest international market for the industry after the United States and South Korea. Last year the mainland's plastic surgery industry, which now has more than 7.4 million clients, was worth 510 billion yuan (HK$645 billion).
Such figures caught the attention of Liu, a Beijing-born start-up entrepreneur, who sensed the potential of huge business opportunities in the sector.
So in 2013, Liu set up his own team and launched the mobile phone application Gengmei.
The app enables users to post photographs, share their experiences and communicate directly with doctors.
