Despite the "challenges" of present day plastic surgery in China, the future of cosmetic surgery there looks almost boundless.

Chinese plastic surgeons continue to study very hard at learning and then mastering the latest techniques from around the world. Many have undergone exchange training in other countries and now returned to guide future training and development. International seminars and trips by visiting expert surgeons are common.

While technology may lag slightly behind in some important areas, at least with certain procedures (for instance, liposuction), Chinese surgeons claim to have already caught up with surgeons in other Asian countries.

Quality control and safety issues, however, remain big concerns for Western consumers all too aware of China's less than stellar record with cost-saving shortcuts, chemical contamination, and industrial pollution.

With growing domestic demand and a seemingly endless pool of home-grown patients, the future for improvement looks bright. In contrast, some Chinese surgeons point out that plastic surgeons in South Korea have depleted their own domestic demand as up to 60% of Koreans in their twenties have already undergone plastic surgery.

Plus, while Korea and Japan may boast a higher number of cosmetic operations per capita, their populations are tiny when compared to that in China. Chinese plastic surgeons are thus amassing clinical experience very rapidly.

Predictably, the distant medical tourist is starting to make an appearance as prices often seem too low to pass up.