The most popular Asian cosmetic surgery includes rhinoplasty, commonly known as a “nose job,” bletharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, and breast augmentation. This is in contrast to non-Asian Americans, whose favorites are liposuction and breast augmentation. Not surprisingly, liposuction hasn’t caught on among Asians, who rarely suffer from overweight or obesity. The majority of Asian plastic surgery patients are women.

While some Asian plastic surgery customers want to adopt a more Western look, it’s important to avoid stereotyping all Asian plastic surgery as an attempt on the part of the patient to look Caucasian. Many Asians seek cosmetic procedures for the same reason their non-Asian counterparts do: to make their features symmetrical and properly proportioned to their overall shape and size, and to enjoy the self-esteem that can come from looking their very best.

Rhinoplasty for Asians generally involves augmentation (enlargement) of the nose, rather than reduction. This procedure has sparked much discussion and controversy. It’s important to remember that alteration of the nose is ultimately a quest for beauty (often according to Asian standards of beauty), rather than an attempt to look Western. American surgeons prefer to use the patient’s own cartilage to enlarge and elongate the nose, while Asian surgeons normally prefer to use silicone for the augmentation. The result is usually subtle, with a slightly more protruding and defined nasal profile than the patient had previously.

Bletharoplasty is frequently requested by Asian patients to convert the classic single eyelid feature to a double eyelid with a fold. It’s a little known fact that only 50 percent of all persons of Asian descent have single eyelids, a condition in which the lid simply hangs down over the eye like a curtain. Many Asian people have double eyelids. Double eyelids are regarded in some Asian countries as more aesthetically pleasing, so eyelid surgery is not always an attempt to look Western. Many variations of this procedure exist. Upper bletharoplasty creates a fold in the upper lid, while lower bletharoplasty makes a fold in the lower lid.

Breast augmentation surgery for Asian women is popular because they typically are shorter and have smaller breasts than their Western sisters. Asian females tend to prefer a more natural looking breast size, and seek out plastic surgeons who can offer implants that are proportional to their height and weight. A good plastic surgeon will minimize scarring by inserting the implant through a very small incision under the arms, through the navel, on the underside of the nipple, or under the breast. Discretion is highly valued in Eastern cultures, and Asian plastic surgery should respect and accommodate this desire.