Shanghai restricts Chinese minors from cosmetic surgery and bans tattoos
- Double eyelid procedures experienced a boom in popularity among young Chinese people
- Chinese minors in Shanghai are now banned from getting tattoos
China’s largest city will restrict medical beauty procedures and ban tattooing for minors starting Tuesday as both are gaining increased popularity among young Chinese people.
The updates were part of amended municipal regulations aimed at protecting minors that took effect on March 1.
China is experiencing a boom in the number of young residents who are opting for beauty procedures, which contributed to an estimated market size of over 184 billion yuan (US$29.1 billion), according to So-Young, a leader in the industry. That number includes adults.
According to a report by state-owned Legal Daily last year, double eyelid surgery is the most popular procedure for minors in mainland China. The procedure involves cutting a permanent crease in the eyelids, a genetic feature missing in about half of people born in East Asia.
Zhu Wei, an associate professor from China University of Political Science and Law, said Shanghai’s move is necessary and should be copied by other local governments as younger Chinese are lured by medical institutions, many being illegal, to change their appearance.
