A pedestrian walks past an advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic at a subway station in Seoul on March 26, 2014. The South Korean capital used to be a hot spot for Chinese women to undergo plastic surgery. Photo: VCG

A report about a woman who was unable to get compensation after a failed cosmetic surgery meant to bring "goodfortune" to her husband has sparked discussion about patients' rights in China. 

Local reports in East China's Jiangxi Province on Saturday said that the customer, a woman surnamed Zuo, underwent a fat injection procedure for her forehead, temples, and brow arch in Nanchang, Jiangxi, in 2019.

Zuo claimed that soon after the surgery several "dents" appeared at the injection sites on her face and that things didn't improve after two years of the repair surgery, a local television station in Jiangxi reported. 

Zuo told the reporters from the station that she agreed to the 40,000 yuan ($6,250) surgery because the cosmetic institute "tricked her by saying the adjustment of her facial contours could bring 'goodfortune' to her husband." 

After a failed repair surgery, the woman asked for compensation, but the institute refused. 

The institute, named Nanchang Ningmei, has now been replaced by another chain store named Yanfan Medical Beauty.

The Jiangxi Customer Association told Chinese news outlet Kankan News on Saturday that they would send somebody to "go and investigate as soon as possible."

The news of the woman's plight sparked discussion on China's popular social media platform Sina Weibo as netizens questioned whether current regulations provided enough protection for customers. 

"Why does one have to report to media in order to get help to solve this problem?" said one comment.

Insiders say that given the high rise in both consumer demand and the number of beauty institutes in China, the surgery market has become more chaotic than ever. February statistics from Chinese corporate database Tianyancha shows that over 3,600 beauty institutes among the 35,000 institutes that exist across the country were once penalized for violations.

The number of plastic surgery institute continues to skyrocket in China. A total of 10,000 new locations opened in 2021, a 395 percent rise compared to 2020, according to the database.

Additionally, the high mobility within the industry has made tracking down violators and mediating between consumers and institutes a difficult job for the government. 

Some institutes, such as the one mentioned above, shut down their stores after only few years of operation due to a lack of revenue, say insiders, who believe more regulation is needed.

Additionally, many of the staff at the institute are temporary workers, who leave after only performing one or two surgeries. 

Zuo wasn't the only example. In February, a Chinese actress has to warn about the dangers of cosmetic surgery by sharing pictures of her damaged nose to her 5 million followers to raise awarenes after her procedure went wrong.

The related hashtag had been able to earn 730 million views on Weibo soon after the actress's post, and her experience drew the sympathy of many Chinese netizens. Her attending physician was suspended for six months, and the hospital fined 49,000 yuan.