Some people are obsessive dieters while others are addicted to smoking or drinking. But there's another kind of obsession that's worrying medical experts: those who repeatedly try to redesign their face and other body parts with expensive and risky plastic surgery.

Michael Jackson is an extreme example of someone who's obsessive about plastic surgery but in Shanghai, for some people, it's as routine as the annual medical checkup.

Take the case of 22-year-old television drama actor, host and fashion model Wang Xusheng, who feels looking better will keep him in the celebrity limelight and bring fame and fortune. Even as a teenager at acting school, Wang had nose and dimple surgery.

"Over 80 percent of my classmates had plastic surgery. In the industry, once you start having operations, you can never stop," Wang says.

But things fell apart, literally.

The filling material in his nose kept breaking and falling out and the tip of his nose always looked blood shot. Wang had to undergo a repair job to fix his nose surgery. The dimple-making operation left him with no dimple but one "wrinkle" on his left cheek. Wang spoke with several surgeons who all told him the "wrinkle" was not repairable.

Wang didn't, however, learn from the failure. In October 2005, he had an operation to fix both sides of his face at a plastic surgery hospital. But after the operation, Wang saw a new problem: his face was uneven and the right side was narrower and lower than the left side. A sunken groove was obvious on his right side face. A 3-dimensional CT scan indicated that his right cheekbone was cut shorter than the left side.

"I was so depressed that my career was almost ruined by the accident. Life in that period was like a nightmare to me," he recalls.

Wang learned about the Shanghai Art Plastic Cosmetic & Esthetic Surgery Hospital (SAPCESH) from a friend and called a counseling hotline. A doctor on the hotline comforted him and suggested he see a new surgeon right away.

The hotline provides technological and psychological counseling services to patients who express an interest in plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes. It was launched in Shanghai by East China Normal University's psychological counseling department and the privately owned SAPCESH.

Two months ago, Wang saw South Korean surgeon Ha Tong-ho, a visiting professor at the hospital who operated on the famous South Korean actress Kim Hee-seon.

Last month, Ha did surgery on Wang and things are looking good as Wang has returned to his TV series.

"I hope my nightmarish experience can create a warning for others: don't stupidly believe that surgery can improve your career, marriage or life, and do think it over before having it done," Wang says.

Medical workers on the hotline have a professional background both in plastic surgery and psychology. Callers deemed unsuitable for plastic surgery are introduced to Ye Bin, director of the psychological counseling department at the university. Ye and his fellow psychologists provide timely psychological counseling services.

People who are depressed about their appearance or hope to change their fate and lives using surgical operations are not good candidates for surgery, according to Ye.

"In general, about 30 percent of patients requesting plastic surgery are suffering from mental problems and are not suitable for an operation," Ye says. "For them, psychological therapy may be more important than an actual operation."

Ye and his team try to help people gain realistic expectations.

Among Ye's patients is Zhang Hua. During the past five years, Zhang has been flying between major cities around the country to have plastic surgery. She has had three operations on her nose, five on her chin, plus several breast lifting and liposuction operations.

When she came to SAPCESH to request a fourth operation on her nose, she was turned down.

"She told me that although she knew she was already good looking, she could not help but think she could make herself more perfect through additional operations," Ye says. "She has gone too far with plastic surgery."

Besides providing medical and mental support to people who call in, the hospital also provides financial support to those who need surgery to correct serious deformities and cannot afford it.

Jiang Chunyi, director of the international department at the hospital, explains that the hospital wants to show a sense of social responsibility.

"We doctors also feel upset about those who are addicted to plastic surgery," Jiang says. "By launching this service, we hope to help patients solve their problems, not only their appearance, but mentally. Although we might make less profit, we feel better."

(China Daily December 31, 2008)