Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly popular among college students in Shanghai because they hope a good-looking face will help them find a better job.

The Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News said 130 college students underwent plastic surgery at a Shanghai hospital recently, double the number for the same period last year.

"About one third of the students are to graduate soon and are seeking a job," the newspaper quoted Xu, the hospital's head as saying.

Many were seeking a big operation, such as changing the shape of the face, rather than a smaller operation like getting a double eyelid, or raising the height of noses, said Xu.

An operation changing one's face shape costs more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,200), but even some third-grade college students had asked for the operation, said Xu.

Most of the students are girls who want to leave a good first impression on their interviewers, according to the report.

However, plastic surgeons said it was risky for college students to undergo plastic surgery.

It took about three months to completely recover from plastic surgery, the Xinmin Evening News quoted a doctor as saying. Many students had plastic surgery only weeks before an interview and had no time to properly recover, said the doctor.

The popularity of plastic surgery shows that college students lack confidence in themselves, psychologists say. College students should rely on their abilities, rather than their faces in looking for a good job.

(Shenzhen Daily January 13, 2005)