Anyone familiar with independent Taipei City Councilor Lin Ruey-tu (林瑞圖) might be surprised to notice that his wrinkles recently disappeared and his skin has become smooth.
The change in appearance took six hours of plastic surgery, which Lin underwent two weeks ago. The surgery included Botox injections and a face lift.
Showing pictures of himself from before and after the surgery, Lin said the procedure was a gift to himself for returning to politics. The 51-year-old former legislator described the pictures as "death versus rebirth."
"I had a serious and fierce face before, but now I look younger and energetic. [Getting the surgery] had less to do with being handsome and more to do with becoming friendlier to my voters," he said on Friday at an event promoting the clinic where he underwent surgery.
Lin is hardly the only person to have turned to plastic surgery to look younger and a growing number of men, including politicians, are undergoing cosmetic treatment.
Although women still account for most cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery, men are making up more of the total, statistics from the Taiwan Plastic Surgery Association showed.
Five years ago, men accounted for only 10 percent of all patients who elected for plastic surgery, but the percentage increased to 30 percent last year, the association said.
Tsao Szu-pin (曹賜斌), a member of the association and a plastic surgeon, said that while women tend to elect for plastic surgery because they believe it will improve their physical appearance, most men who decide to get surgery -- especially male politicians like Lin -- believe it makes them look kinder, friendlier and more energetic.
"These male politicians believe that looking younger, friendlier and healthier will help them to attract more votes or prolong their political career," Tsao said, adding that many politicians like to get plastic surgery before elections.
Several prominent Taiwanese politicians have had elective cosmetic treatment, including former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨). Lien had Botox injections, while Lin Chung-mo also had hyaluronic acid injections in his forehead in 2003. He later publicly lauded the effect of the procedures.
"Botox makes your face soft and smooth in a short time. It's really amazing," Lin Chung-mo was quoted as saying at the time during a promotional event held by his beauty clinic.
Former Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp chairman Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) admitted having laser blemish removal in 2002 when asked about his appearance, while DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), and former KMT legislator Fung Hu-hsiang (馮滬祥) had eyelid surgery.
DPP Legislator Wang Tuoh (王拓) and former independent legislator Chu Hsing-yu (朱星羽) also had plastic surgery to remove bags under their eyes.
After getting surgery in 2004, Chu said that it was not only meant to change one's looks, but that the removal of droopy eyelids would "bring more luck."
A survey conducted by Shu-Tien Urology Ophthalmology Clinic last year showed that the three most popular cosmetic treatments or types of plastic surgery were botox wrinkle treatment, plastic surgery on the eyes and Thermacool facelifts.
Tsao said men chose plastic surgery because they believed it would increase their competitiveness in the workplace. Men also preferred "easier" treatments that would not affect their work.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said that the government would “lodge a solemn representation” with the US Trade Representative and continue negotiating with Washington to “ensure the interests of our nation and industries.” Trump at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on most goods
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS