Meeting beauty standards
追求完美使年轻人逐渐成为医美市场主力
Instead of going on a trip or buying herself new clothes, Xiao Tong (not her real name) from Wuhan, Hubei province, chose to celebrate her senior high school graduation in a different way. She went to a beauty clinic to undergo plastic surgery on her nose.
来自湖北武汉的晓彤（化名）没有去旅行或者买新衣服，而是选择了一种不同的方式来庆祝自己高中毕业。她去了一家美容诊所，做了鼻子整容术。
"I want to make a good impression and start my university life with a brand new look," the 18-year-old told Changjiang Daily.
“我想要给人留下好印象，用全新的面貌开始我的大学生活，”这位18岁的女孩在接受《长江日报》采访时如此说道。
Like Xiao Tong, many young Chinese are anxious about their looks, and subject themselves to cosmetic surgery. A medical beauty industry white paper by iResearch Global said 19 percent of Chinese medical beauty consumers in 2020 were aged 18 or under.
和晓彤一样，许多中国年轻人都对自己的外表感到焦虑，从而去做整容手术。艾瑞网发布的一份医疗美容行业白皮书显示，2020年19%的中国医美顾客在18岁以下。
Young people have cosmetic surgery for different reasons, and improving self-confidence is one of them.
年轻人接受整容手术的原因各不相同，而提升自信心便是其中之一。
Wang Fang, 18, from Beijing, felt that her eyes were too small. In 2019, after she got in university, Wang had a minor operation done on her eyelids.
来自北京的18岁女生王芳（音）觉得自己的眼睛太小。2019年上大学后，王芳在眼皮上动了个小手术。
"Before I had the surgery, I had a negative perception of myself. Therefore, I had low self-esteem and no confidence," Wang told Beijing Youth Daily. "The cosmetic surgery changed the situation. I was comfortable with that."
“做手术之前，我觉得自己并不好看。因此我很自卑，没有自信，”王芳在接受《北京青年报》采访时如此表示。“整容手术改变了这个状况。我觉得这么做挺好的。”

But Jiang Wenxiu of the Department of Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University in Jiangsu, advised that people should think twice before going under the knife.
但江苏东南大学附属中大医院心理精神科的江文秀（音）建议大家应该经过慎重考虑后，再去动手术。
"Medical beauty apps only show how great plastic surgery can be," Jiang told China Daily. "They leave out all the negative stuff."
“医美应用软件只会展现整容手术的良好效果，”江文秀在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。“它们不会透露所有负面的内容。”
Today beauty clinics that see students as lucrative plastic surgery clients are well aware that these young people are mostly short of money, so they use summer discounts, installment plans and other ways to attract their attention.
如今，美容诊所将学生视作有利可图的整容客户，它们知道这些年轻人大多数没有什么钱，因此便推出了暑期优惠、分期付款以及其他方式吸引他们。
Xiao Zhen (not her real name), 17, from Chengdu, Sichuan province, is one of the victims. She took out a loan of about 20,000 yuan to get cosmetic surgery. But the large sum of money became a big burden. She had to drop out of school and go to work to pay off the loan.
来自四川成都的17岁女孩小真（化名）便是其中一位受害者。为了做整容手术，她贷款了约2万元。但这一大笔钱成为了一个巨大的负担。她不得不辍学，赚钱还债。
Besides the financial burden, potential health risks of plastic surgery also need to be considered.
除了经济负担之外，整容手术潜在的健康风险也需要考虑。
"If you have big problems with your look, you should wait until you are a full adult, then decide if you want to do something about it," Jiang said. "Then, with a stable mind, you can consider inner and outer beauty, and whether plastic surgery is for you."
“如果你的外貌存在很大问题，你应当在完全成年后，再来决定是否进行整容，”江文秀表示。“稳定的心智能够让你考虑内在与外在之美，以及自己是否需要做整容手术。”