Japan does not have a legally set minimum age for plastic surgery, although minors usually need parental consent and undergo stricter examinations. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that a larger number of high school students have undergone plastic surgery in recent years. Young women in Japan are using artificial intelligence to create images comparing their looks before and after plastic surgery, making the photos look as if two faces are meeting in one place, in a new trend among teenagers. One user commented that she compared the two photos and ended up crying. The girl's post garnered 15.8 million views and sparked a wave of imitations on social media. Users input two real photos into an AI tool—one before the surgery and one after—and then ask it to create a single image combining the two versions. One user, @shinoyu, wrote that she had not undergone any bone-related plastic surgery but noticed a significant difference after getting her teeth straightened, liposuction, a facelift, and eyelid surgery. Another user, @romko_sui, described herself before surgery as "really ugly," blaming it for her past failures. User @vI5jm posted a picture showing her "before" look in a school uniform and her "after" look with blonde hair, explaining she had the surgery for herself, not to attract men. According to the Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Japan recorded about 3.3 million medical cosmetic procedures in 2022, making it one of the largest beauty markets in the world. One internet user commented that makeup can serve the same purpose without the risks of plastic surgery, while others warned that this trend could distort teenagers' perceptions of beauty. This month, a photo of a Japanese internet user named @rori_bb went viral after she posted an AI-generated "dual" image showing her current face next to her pre-surgery photo.
