When we travel abroad and then return home to our own country, we assume that we’ll be allowed in. However, recently 23 women coming home to China were stopped by customs officials. On comparing the passport photos of these women with their live faces, the officials saw too much discrepancy.

The China Daily reported this incident, saying that the women had gone to South Korea for facial cosmetic surgery. They ranged in age between 36 and 54. Some of the surgeries they had had were:

  • Rhinoplasty – to make their nose higher at the bridge
  • Blepharoplasty – to make their eyes look larger
  • Chin surgery – to have a slimmer chin. It is not clear from news reports what this surgery was; perhaps it was liposuction beneath the chin.

When the group of women arrived back in China they were wearing sunglasses and hats. When they removed them for identification purposes, their bandages and stitches were visible. Customs officers spent some time with each woman, comparing the photo and live face, and eventually admitted them to the country as being who they said they were. However, each woman was asked to get a new passport photo.

Cosmetic surgery has been increasing in popularity in China partly because the unemployment rate is ten percent. At first that might not seem like a good reason for the increase. But Chinese labor laws do not forbid discrimination based on an applicant’s appearance, and in fact, some jobs request certain physical characteristics such as round eyes. Increasing numbers of workers are resorting to cosmetic surgery to help in their job search.

To learn more about facial plastic surgery in Dallas and how it could give you a more youthful or attractive appearance, please contact our Dallas, Texas office today for a free consultation.