Rules tidy up illegal facilities, but challenges crease beauty market

Yu Shasha, 26, a resident of Qingdao in Shandong province, travels three times a month to Beijing 645 km away for LED therapy and other skin treatments. Each round trip by train takes eight hours and costs 624 yuan ($91) in all. Yu thinks it is worth all the effort, given the benefits.

"You have to admit that finding an ideal clinic and physician is less easy in Qingdao. I don't want to take any risks, so I just stuck to the same physician since college."

Yu's concern is well-grounded. Surging demand for cosmetic procedures in China's smaller cities is driving the industry. But, the industry also faces challenges in the form of illegal practices, despite evolving regulations.