A beauty clinic allegedly tricked a 19-year-old man with an intellectual disability into undergoing breast enlargements for five years, claiming he would make money from it.
The mother of the teenager, known in local media as Ms Lu, from Wuhan, China, said her son had undergone breast surgery on July 28.
“When our family heard about this, we were completely shocked. It was like the sky fell. He is only 19 years old,” she told the South China Morning Post.
She claims her son went to the clinic to apply for a job with full retirement benefits and a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan (£325), but that staff convinced him he needed to get breast implants first.
A staff member reportedly told him in a text message: “You can have the breast surgery first and only return to work once you have recovered.”
A beauty clinic allegedly tricked a 19-year-old man (pictured) with a mental age of five into undergoing breast enlargements by telling him he would make money from it
The mother of the teenager, identified in local media as Ms Lu, from Wuhan, China, said her son had undergone breast surgery on July 28
When the teen expressed concerns about undergoing the surgery as a man, the staff member assured him it was “fine for men.”
He was also concerned about the cost of the procedure, but the employee convinced him to pay for the surgery in installments, then suggested that he could repay the clinic through income from the livestream.
“There are many livestreamers who undergo cosmetic surgery here and make a lot of money from it,” the clinic employee said, according to SCMP.
The 19-year-old then took out a loan of 30,000 yuan (£3,250) and another 7,000 yuan (£750) spread over two years.
His mother said that after the surgery in July he was left with a B cup and two long scars under his breasts, which break her heart every time she sees them.
After a series of conversations with the clinic, the teen’s breast prostheses have now been removed, which his mother says has traumatized him again.
She provided medical reports showing that her son, due to his intellectual disability, had the mental capacity of a five-year-old and that he should not have undergone the surgery without her consent.
Her son is said to have suffered from depression, anxiety disorders and sleep disorders since the operations.