From the ancient practice of Chinese foot binding to the more modern double eyelid surgery that created much controversy a few years ago, Asian women have become so accustomed to surgically-enhanced beauty that there has been a recent-day boom in both the types of and amount of cosmetic surgeries available in Asia. Mimicking the looks of Western and Asian stars has become a cultural phenomenon amongst both men and women to not only “perfect” themselves, but to demonstrate the presence of wealth and success.

However, the phenomenon has reached even farther of late, as even not so wealthy Asian families are beginning to “invest” in daughters: it has become widely-popular for young women to get surgery after graduation to enhance their natural looks in order to be more successful in obtaining jobs.

Whether these surgeries shock or reveal something about the concept of beauty, to see what extreme lengths these women are willing to go to for the “ideal” image, psychoPEDIA looks into six cosmetic procedures that are becoming commonplace:

Cheek Reduction
In addition to coveting faces similar to the as-seen-on-TV glamorous Asian starlets, the procedure of shaving cheekbones to make them smaller and flatter actually has more to do with avoiding bad luck. In Asian tradition, the belief is that bigger cheekbones can create misfortune. Therefore, Asian women view the procedure just as ordinarily as American women consider breast enlargement. While Hollywood stars are known to get cheek implants or cheek lifts to create facial definition, the opposite procedure of reducing cheek size is a uniquely in-demand Asian surgery, considered more normal than other cosmetic enhancements.

Leg Lengthening
Discrimination towards shorter people in Asia is so prevalent that the surgical procedure of leg lengthening in tandem with getting a good education to achieve eventual success. Originally developed in Russia for those with stunted growth problems, the procedure has become popular in Asian countries for almost entirely cosmetic purposes. The surgery involves sawing the legs beneath the knee straight through to the bone and flesh and adding steel pins screwed into the bone. Over the next few months after the initial surgery, the patient will suffer from excruciating pain, as the screws will be turned slightly several times to force leg growth– to which one patient has admitted to growing a total of 8 cm. While the process seems both physically painful as well as mentally traumatic, like many other Asian cosmetic surgeries, it is considered worth the investment for the future.

Chin Implants
Typical Asian facial features often include rounder faces. However, due to presence of Western faces bombarding the Asian media, a face now considered beautiful is one that has a more lengthened, oval shape. Like the craze of skin whitening and eyelid surgery, this is yet another procedure influenced by westernized beauty. This procedure involves the insertion of an implant below the lip to provide a more egg-shaped facial structure, and it often goes hand-in-hand with rhinoplasty (nose reconstruction), as the balance of the face is said to be off set after a patient has the face is lengthened.

Forehead Implants
Asian tradition holds that facial features can denote one's future luck in life. The average person once destined to have bad luck thanks to appearance, can now fix the problem with cosmetic surgery. One of the features at the forefront of determining success is the forehead. To have a flat forehead is believed to be bad luck. Therefore, the forehead implant corrects this unlucky genetic defect. Asian women have been drawn to this procedure not only for its ability to increase luck, but for the effects of rejuvenating a youthful appearance-- a desirable feature in East and West cultures alike.

Dimple Surgery
While Asian personalities are known in pop culture for being cute and bubbly, women are affected by this standard accordingly. As wearing Hello Kitty apparel and fashioning themselves after Anime cartoons wasn't enough, the idea of "cute as beautiful" has also seeped into cosmetic surgery. Dimple surgery, which is meant to enhance this sweet appearance, is an outpatient procedure done under local anesthetic in a matter of a short thirty minutes, of which surgeons claim you can resume normal activity directly after. The procedure involves creating a puncture to the skin through the flesh and muscle, and once the punctured has healed, the fat and muscle tissue will connect forming a dimple when you smile.

Hymen Restructure
Gaining popularity in the U. S. is the trend of brides giving their bridesmaids a buffet of cosmetic enhancements-- including botox and breast enlargement-- to look good for the wedding. In Asia, the bridal cosmetic standards are inspired culturally. While specific physical characteristics are considered desirable, so is modesty and purity. Virginity is a valuable asset for women in China, Korea and Indonesia. Therefore, young Asian women are beginning to undergo a surgical procedure to reconstruct their hymens, just in time for the wedding day.