South korea plastic surgery documentary bbc life
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Dr Choi Oh Kyu, a cosmetic surgeon, explains why. Abby was only given partial anaesthesia and remained conscious throughout.
"I could see how much fat was extracted from my body and how much blood I was losing," she says.
Now 35, Abby has gone on to have more than 100 procedures, costing half a million dollars.
She co-owns a beauty clinic in central Beijing and has become one of the most recognisable faces of China's plastic surgery boom.
But the surgeries have come at a physical cost.
Sitting in front of a mirror inside her luxury duplex apartment in Beijing, she gently dabs concealer onto bruises from a recent face-slimming injection - a procedure she undergoes monthly to help her face appear "firmer and less chubby" after three jaw reduction surgeries removed too much bone.
But she insists she has no regrets about the surgeries and believes her mother made the right decision all those years ago.
"The surgery worked.
Get a chin augmentation? An hour later, she was on the operating table.
From job offer to debt and surgery - all within 24 hours.
The surgery did nothing for her job prospects. I lost my shine and it's affected my work [in human resources for a foreign company in Shanghai] too."
She found Dr Yang through SoYoung last year and has since undergone three repair surgeries, including for her eyelids which were damaged during a previous operation by another clinic.
But while Dr Yang's surgeries have brought visible improvements, some of the damage from the botched procedures may be permanent.
"I don't want to become prettier any more," she says.
"If I could go back to how I looked before surgery, I'd be quite happy."
'It ruined my career'
Every year, tens of thousands like Yue Yue fall victim to unlicensed cosmetic clinics in China.
But even some licensed clinics and qualified surgeons aren't following the rules strictly.
In 2020, actress Gao Liu's botched nose operation - in which the tip of her nose turned black and died - went viral.
"My face was disfigured and I was very down.
Da Lan says her manager belittled her, shouting her name in public and swearing at her.
She quit after just a few weeks. Now, aged 31 and about to get married, Annie is travelling to South Korea, where cosmetic surgery is so common people have double eyelid surgery and are back at work the next day. You'll become pretty once you're out."
The surgery was traumatic.
Either give up or lose weight fast,'" recalls Abby, who was preparing for her drama exams at the time.
Abby's mother stepped in, taking her to get liposuction to remove fat from her belly and legs.
Abby remembers her mother's words as she waited in the clinic in a hospital gown, nervous about the impending operation.
And as operations have become cheaper, increasing numbers are going under the knife. You can't give them enough fabric for a vest and expect a wedding dress."
The metaphor lingers in the air, underscoring the toll taken by all of the operations.
But despite everything, Abby has no plans to stop.
"I don't think I'll ever stop my journey of becoming more beautiful."
Annie Price was badly burnt in a caravan fire.
The promotion has led to a 20% surge in customers. One of the prizes is a chance to undergo plastic surgery.
She had life-saving operations on her face, but growing up her mum encouraged her to get on with her life rather than focusing on further plastic surgery. I became more confident and happier, day by day.
'I've had 100 operations and will never stop' - inside China's cosmetic surgery boom
Natalia ZuoBBC Eye, World Service Investigations
Abby Wu was just 14 when she had cosmetic surgery for the first time.
After receiving hormone treatment for an illness, Abby's weight increased from 42kg (6 stone 8lbs) to 62kg (9 stone 11lbs) in two months.
The change hadn't gone unnoticed by her drama teacher.
"My teacher said, 'You were our star but now you're too fat.
I think my mum made the right call."
Once seen as taboo, plastic surgery has exploded in popularity over the last 20 years in China, fuelled by rising disposable incomes and shifts in social attitudes, in large part driven by social media.
Every year, 20 million Chinese people pay for cosmetic procedures.
Overwhelmingly, it is young women who seek surgery.
The doctors don't have much to work with. "In my clinic, about 15 to 20% of patients are men. Some have been trapped in much larger debt for years.
The clinic Da Lan says scammed her had previously been reported by other graduates and exposed by local media, but it remains open and is still recruiting for the same role.
This scam isn't limited to clinic jobs - it's creeping into other industries.
Some live-streaming companies pressure young women to take out loans for surgery, promising a shot at influencer fame.
Everyone wants to look younger."
The beauty industry is big business in South Korea. Within a minute, the loan was approved.
By noon, she was undergoing medical tests.
"Also, a lot of middle-aged men come in wanting to look younger.