Chinese actor Gao Liu on Tuesday shared some shocking pictures from her unsuccessful nose operation on social media to warn fans of the dangers of cosmetic surgeries, AFP reported.

Liu posted her post-surgery face on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, which showed the tip of her nose blackened.

“I had thought that these four hours (of surgery) would make me more beautiful, but I didn’t realise that they would be the beginning of a nightmare,” she captioned her post.

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The actor said that her “nightmare” had left her feeling suicidal and cost her several acting jobs. Liu has over five million followers on Weibo.

Gao stated she hoped the surgery would improve her acting career. But what she thought was a “micro-adjustment” onto the tip of her nose, left it infected in October, requiring repeated follow-up surgeries.

The actor said she was then hospitalised for 61 days and lost some 400,000 yuan ($61,800) in work.

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Her post this week has sparked sympathy online and the hashtag “why is cosmetic surgery becoming more and more common” had gained 330 million views on Weibo by Friday.

“I feel so bad for Gao Liu, everyone should take this as a warning and be aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery,” commented a user.

“We should emphasise natural beauty,” said another.

Cosmetic surgery, popularly known as plastic surgery, is booming in China, with over 15.2 million people estimated to have gone under the knife last year, according to a report by Chinese market research firm iiMedia.

China became the second-largest market for plastic surgery in the world in 2020, worth over $14 billion, according to a report by Daxue Consulting.