Plastic Surgery

Chapter 114 Plastic Surgery

"Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense," Catherine said, no longer dwelling on the issue. "But I saw in your script that Susan's nose was bandaged because she had just had rhinoplasty."

'

"Yes, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

""

"Didn't your script say that the story is set in Los Angeles in the 50s?"

"So what? Cosmetic surgery was already relatively advanced in the United States in the 50s, okay?"

David knew from the tone of the other person's words that this was the question.

As early as 1950, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, formerly ASPRS) had completed the establishment of a specialist physician platform certification system, had its own authoritative academic journal, and was officially and fully integrated into the mainstream American medical system.

Thanks to the extensive clinical experience gained from the repair of numerous war wounds after the two World Wars, American plastic surgeons have accumulated a wealth of practical experience in tissue repair and facial reconstruction, and are fully capable of performing routine cosmetic surgery.

Marilyn Monroe underwent chin cartilage implant surgery in 1950, and in 1955, 25 women disfigured by the Japanese atomic bomb traveled to the United States specifically for reconstructive plastic surgery.

This clearly demonstrates that the Americans' technology in this area was already very mature and standardized back then.

Before David traveled through time, he often saw compilation videos of Hong Kong and Taiwanese female stars from the 80s and 90s on short video platforms. Most of the netizens in the comments section praised them for their original and natural beauty, unlike the uniform, assembly-line-style internet celebrity faces of today.

He remained noncommittal about this, so after arriving in this world, David paid special attention to the development and technological maturity of the cosmetic surgery industry in Hong Kong.

Then it was discovered that Hong Kong Island at that time did not have mature plastic surgery assembly line technology. Mainstream medical aesthetic projects were still at the stage of basic traditional beauty and slimming services. The proportion of compliant surgical plastic surgery projects was extremely low, and the number of mature specialist plastic surgeons was very small.

Moreover, at that time, the public in Hong Kong Island had a very low acceptance of cosmetic surgery, and most celebrities would only make very subtle adjustments, which would cause great controversy if discovered.

When Chingmy Yau was 18, she suffered a fractured jaw in an accidental fall and underwent reconstructive surgery. As a result, when she participated in the Miss Hong Kong pageant, she was exposed to controversy over "chin plastic surgery". Under tremendous public pressure, TVB had to persuade her to withdraw from the finals voluntarily for "health reasons".

At that time, the public's tolerance for celebrities undergoing plastic surgery was limited to minor adjustments such as getting double eyelid surgery, with Jackie Chan being a typical example.

"What, you want to get double eyelid surgery?"

After arriving at the restaurant and taking his seat, David flipped through the menu and handed it back to the waiter: "Beef stew, cream of mushroom soup, and lobster."

Geometric mahogany veneer, gilded rattan patterns, maple and chestnut leaf-shaped chandeliers and wall lamps, seemingly endless crystal glass walls, and classical murals copied from the Louvre.

Add to that the magnificent stained-glass ceiling and colorful stained-glass windows, and you feel as if you've stepped into a 19th-century French court—well, David, who just randomly picked a restaurant to eat in, almost thought he'd traveled back in time to Napoleon.

"Get double eyelid surgery? Why would you think I'd have that idea?" Catherine turned to look at him, somewhat puzzled. "Don't I already have double eyelids?"

Yes, Catherine now definitely has double eyelids, and they're the "covering-the-pupil type" of European-style double eyelids. The term "covering-the-pupil type" refers to the fact that her upper eyelid skin droops slightly, partially obscuring the double eyelid crease, creating a unique "covering-the-pupil eye shape."

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However, in David's memory, he remembered that in the original timeline, the other person was photographed by gossip media entering and leaving a medical aesthetic institution in the early 2000s, and there were rumors that she had made minor adjustments to the shape of her double eyelids afterward.

"Well, I misunderstood something," David said after a moment's thought. "I just remembered a gossip about getting double eyelid surgery in Hong Kong and blurted it out."

""

After thinking about it for a moment, he roughly figured out why the other person wanted to have their eye shape slightly adjusted.

As a top-tier actress who faces high-definition film and television cameras year-round, even the slightest sagging or wrinkles on her face are magnified infinitely by the lens.

The area around the eyes is the part of the face that most easily reveals one's age. The rumored upper eyelid lifting adjustments are most likely aimed at improving the problems of sagging upper facial skin and increased eyelid drooping that occur with age, in order to maintain the delicate appearance of the eyes on camera.

There is a scientific basis for the claim that the area around the eyes is the part of the body that most easily reveals one's age.

The main issue is the inherent fragility of the physiological structure. The skin around the eyes is only one-fifth the thickness of the skin on the face, and it has almost no sebaceous glands or sweat glands, resulting in extremely poor water retention. With tens of thousands of blinks per day, repeated stretching easily leads to wrinkles, and early signs of aging may appear as early as 20-30 years old, much earlier than in other areas of the face.

"What gossip?" Catherine asked curiously after taking a sip of red wine.

What gossip? It's the gossip about Jackie Chan getting double eyelid surgery, of course.

However, the origin and timeline of this matter are somewhat controversial, with two main versions pointing to 1978.

During the filming of "Drunken Master" in 2008, Jackie Chan was kicked in the corner of his eye on set, and he also had double eyelid surgery while treating the wound.

There are also earlier claims that Jackie Chan had already undergone surgery around 1976, when he was still working as an extra. Around the time of the release of "The Eagle Claw Iron Shirt" in 1977, audiences could already see the changes in the shape of his eyes on screen.

David hasn't seen "The Eagle Claw Iron Shirt," so he's not entirely sure. However, since the conversation has already gone this far (specifying which movie it is), he's more likely to be more inclined to believe the latter's statement is accurate.

"Why?" This piqued the other person's curiosity. "If it wasn't because of the injury that you got surgery, then why? Did he also think single eyelids were unattractive?"

Whether it's good or not, you'd have to ask him personally, but the gossip David has heard mentions Gu Long.

It is said that in his early years, before Jackie Chan became famous, Lo Wei took him to visit Gu Long, hoping to get the opportunity to act in his scripts.

However, Gu Long disliked Jackie Chan's small, single-eyelid eyes and lack of striking appearance, deeming him unsuitable for the role of a chivalrous hero. He stated directly that his scripts were written for actors like Ti Lung and David Chiang, who possessed large, handsome eyes.

Uncle Jackie was deeply affected by this and even hid in the toilet to cry. He then decided to undergo surgery to adjust the shape of his eyes in order to better fit the casting aesthetics of the Hong Kong film industry at that time.

"Who is Gu Long? A screenwriter? Are screenwriters from their area really that good?"

As David listened to the other person's questions one after another, he had a magical feeling.

Sitting in a French restaurant in Los Angeles, chatting with a Hollywood actress about entertainment gossip from Hong Kong and Taiwan during the same era—the scene was truly bizarre.

Okay, let's get back to Catherine's questions.

First of all, Gu Long was indeed a screenwriter. As early as 1969, he wrote the screenplay "Xiao Shiyi Lang" for director Xu Zenghong. This was the first work to have a screenplay first, and then a novel of the same name was derived after the movie was released and became a hit. Hmm, quite similar to "The Storm".

Starting in 1975, Gu Long began working full-time as a screenwriter, adapting many of his own martial arts novels and also writing screenplays for modern films set in the Republican era, such as "Never Bow Down." His screenplays were characterized by strong suspense and fast pace, which were very well suited to the market demand for martial arts films in Hong Kong and Taiwan at the time.