One implicit goal is to halt the flow of Chinese patients to better-established hospitals in South Korea. Mr. Ma estimates that Chinese make up 30 percent of cosmetic surgery patients in Seoul.

For now, many beauty salons, like one downtown Beijing branch of a major chain, are capitalizing on the lack of oversight. One recent afternoon, a 62-year-old woman in a white coat who described herself as an internist said she could summon a doctor who could give a visitor double eyelids in 20 minutes about $180, a fraction of the standard hospital fee.

“Immediately you will look different,” she said.

“Strictly speaking, this thing is not allowed,” she added. “But why do we have it? Because many people want to look good and find the price of the procedure too high and they can’t afford it.”

Of two dozen Beijing beauty salons contacted by phone, 15 said they offered either double-eyelid surgery or Botox injections or both, along with manicures, pedicures and facials.

At the other end of the spectrum is Evercare’s Aikang hospital, with a grand piano in the lobby, an underground tunnel for patients who want privacy and surgeons like Dr. Wang Jiguang, who has performed thousands of operations. Patients younger than 19 are told to return when they are old enough to make a decision about a permanent change to their looks.

Mr. Li of Evercare, a 46-year-old former government journalist, said the typical procedure cost between about $1,500 and $3,000. Having renovated one part of their face, many patients find the lure of more work irresistible. Between 30 to 40 percent return, he said.