(File photo/Beijing Youth Daily)

“Students get a 30 percent discount for abdomen liposuction! We suggest they do it during the summer, before their military training course at the beginning of the term,” said Ms. Teng, a Beijing-based surgery consultant. Nowadays, those who seek plastic surgery are not just workplace newbies, but also recent high school graduates about to enter college.

“When you’re in high school, as long as you get good marks, teachers and classmates treat you well. But college is different. Without good looks, it’s hard to stand out in the student union or in campus activities,” a high school graduate surnamed Zhou explained to the Workers’ Daily.

Sun, another college freshman who came to Beijing to do the surgery, has a more specific reason. “A new identity card will be made for us in our first year. Afterwards I can use the new photo for all my IDs and certificates. Nobody knows what I looked like before.”

According to a medical beauty hospital in Beijing, the number of students seeking plastic surgery usually surges during the summer holiday, accounting for about one third or half of the total clients. Eye and nose surgery, Botox injections, and abdomen liposuction are the most popular.

Moreover, plastic surgery is not cheap. According o prices posted on the website of a medical beauty hospital, a nose job costs 15,800 yuan (about $2,337); eye pouch removal ranges from 4,000 yuan (about $592) to 10,000 yuan (about $1,479); and an abdomen liposuction starts from 8,500 (about $1257), depending on the surgical method.

“The price of one plastic surgery is far above her schooling costs. But we have no choice. This is all for my daughter’s future. A decent look is important in society,” said Zhou’s mother.

“We’ve seen many cases in which the resume photo looked quite different from the job applicant in person. Unless we are recruiting receptionists, we won’t place on a lot of emphasis on their looks,” said Mr. Feng, a senior HR staff member. “If we question their looks, the applicant usually says it was because the photo was taken years ago.”