Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia

During the last few weeks cricket and cricketer’s were in the news. This week famousƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Aussie cricketer Shane Warne was inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the news, but not about cricket. Sydney Plastic Surgeon Dr. Robert Drielsma had said that Shane had undergone plastic surgery and has got aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ face-lift. Some time back Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga was interviewed on TV channels about change in hisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ‘ego’. He said that he enjoyed doing all that and was laughing when heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ added that his parents wereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not too happyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ about it !ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So people try toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ change their appearance for various reasons.
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Early this month, while visiting the World Expo in Shanghai, China, IƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ went to theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ University Pavillion. ThenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a Chinese girl working in the ExpoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ spoke to me calling my first name. I was taken aback and very politely inquiredƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I met her before. She mentioned that when I visited her university last semester she took me around. I told her that itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was Dong Ling, the President of the student’s Union who took me around. She saidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  she was DongƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ling. I apologised about my poor memory for faces and said that in 3 months she had changed a lot. Then sheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ saidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that she underwentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ plastic surgeryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and detailedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the changes to her chin, nose, eyelids and so on.
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As plastic surgery is not cheap, I inquired if her parents gave the moneyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and she said, ‘yes’. SheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ smiled and added, ‘but the money was meantƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for university fees, accommodation, food,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ books, for a laptop’ and so on. And they were in the dark aboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ what she hadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ done with the money.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ She was going to tell them when they come to the Expo that week-end. She said that if she had phoned themƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ about it,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ they would haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ been fuming at her. So she wants them to see her first ! She pointed at the girls in the pavillion and said thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nearly 80 per cent of them had gone through some sort ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ plastic surgery. The next dayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ she took me to the plastic surgery hospital to have a look.
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At the Guangmei Cosmetic Surgery Hospital, GZ., ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dr. Zhong, Plastic Surgeon said, about 90 per cent of university, College and High SchoolƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ students come to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ improve their appearance by cosmeticƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ surgery and thereby future prospects. He said, oneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reasonƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is, being attractive, increases their employment chances due to the competitive job market in China. He also said that cosmetic surgery gives them more confidence at job interviews. Then he showed me the extreme case of a girl who underwent surgeryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to be a bit taller andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  she was still in crutches. She said she is happyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ even though the surgery was painful.
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Dr. Zhong added that not only young girls but young men also come to him forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cosmetic surgery. He said this summer girls who came to him increased by 30 per cent while boysƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ increased by 10 per cent. He mentioned thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ many parents are now open-minded because they also believe that cosmetic surgery enhances confidence, opportunities, wealth and love. So in China, youngerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ people going forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cosmetic surgery has increased in leaps and bounds. In the past, cosmetic surgery had been exclusively for the affluent, older and for celebrities to enhance their beauty and today it is done by a different age group for different reasons.