(Photo/Xinhua)

A deputy of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China suggested adding new terms to the country’s law on the protection of minors, to prohibit people and organizations from performing unnecessary cosmetic surgeries on children, Legal Daily reported on Jan. 15.

The NPC deputy, Wang Jiajuan, suggested that lawmakers should add relevant provisions to explicitly stipulate that all cosmetic surgeries for minors, except for necessary medical reasons, are prohibited. She also suggested that they should define the legal responsibilities of guardians, companies and organizations that provide cosmetic surgery, and state severe penalties for those caught violating the new provisions.

Wang is a teacher at Liaoyang No.1 Senior High School in Liaoyang City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. She was distraught to hear that a 19-year-old girl had recently died during a rhinoplasty procedure.

“A girl, so young and lively, died only because of cosmetic surgery. It's such a pity,” Wang said during an interview with Legal Daily, stating that though it was an accident, it shows the risks posed by such procedures.

Over recent years, the age of those contemplating cosmetic surgery has got younger and younger, said Wang, adding that the dangers associated with going under the knife are often neglected by this age group.

“I’ve noticed that many students have undergone cosmetic surgeries such as double eyelid surgery, eyebrow tattooing, and lip lightening. Some of these kids get eyebrows tattooed while they are still in their teens,” said Wang.

Wang noted that plastic surgery and medical treatments for children with congenital disabilities like cheilopalatognathus should still be allowed, so that these children can live with better health and dignity. However, she added, this is not the same as getting surgery for superficial reasons.

“Legislation on cosmetic surgeries for minors should be introduced to ensure the strict implementation of medical plastic surgeries and outline provisions on cosmetic surgeries,” said Shu Rui, an assistant to the president of the Financial Street People’s Court of Beijing.

Plastic surgery can pose an enormous risk for minors who are still developing, explained Shu, adding that the risks are even higher when the quality of providers varies so much.

Early in 2015, the proportion of consumer complaints received by the China Consumer's Association regarding quality issues in medical plastic surgeries and cosmetic surgeries had grown by 6 percent compared with the previous year.

In June 2017, seven major Chinese government departments, including the then National Health and Family Planning Commission, had issued an official document detailing an action plan to crack down on illegal medical cosmetic procedures, which started a strict crackdown on illegal plastic surgery. So far, over 2,700 cases have been handled.

However, to date, there’s no specific provision dealing with medical and cosmetic surgeries for minors in the country’s law regarding the protection of children.