BEIJING, June 4 -- Lu Lihua, a man from central China's Shanxi province, who vowed to be 'the most handsome man', underwent orthopedic surgery for the third time May 30, 2006, reports Huashang Newspaper.

    The 3-hour operation has mainly been on his cheekbone and mandible to successfully make Lu a "handsome guy", just as he anticipated.

    It is also the last time for the hospital to do cosmetic surgery for Lu based on the contract signed in 2004.

    Lu attracted great attention because his last two orthopedic procedures in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

    Lu looked quite confident about this surgery before it started on Tuesday morning.

    He told the reporter he has been always been obsessed by his appearance since high school, but always held himself in very low esteem. He always dreamed about being more handsome.

    His high school diary recounts how he felt that his ugly and prematurely aged face affected his life.

    "I was not nervous about the last two operations and I feel the same now, but I'm a bit worried about the after-effects of the surgery," Lu said.

    Doctor Zhang of Xi'an Women's Hospital, also the person in charge of Lu's case, said this time the operation was mainly to reduce the height of Lu's cheekbone in order to narrow his face.

    "I am confident that we will be able to perform successful plastic surgery that will be safe for the patient." Zhang said.

    When asked whether he would continue to take a fourth or the fifth operation if he was not satisfied this time, Lu replied, "Possibly".

    Lu also admitted he is, to some extent, addicted to the pursuit of utmost perfection.

    Lu said he currently hasn't any final date for the procedures in mind. He hopes that he can acquire the appearance of Leslie Cheung, the famous Hong Kong film star who committed suicide in 2003.

    Lu also plans to develop his own career in Japan after surgery.

    Lu signed a contract with Xi'an Women's Hospital for three cosmetic operations at a cost of 0.4 million (U.S. $50,000) in 2004.

    Lu underwent his first surgery in Xi'an, central China Shanxi province in October 2004, in which 11 points on his face including eyebrows and his upper and lower eyelids were altered.