South Korea Plastic Surgery: The Pain of Recovery

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery

A few decades ago, the Asian culture can be said to be more conservative, shying away from taboo subjects and ‘vain’ endeavours. Now, it’s a different story. The latest plastic surgery statistics show that South Korea ranks first, in terms of the most number of procedures done (per 1,000 population). Also, the country’s fellow Asian counterpart, Chinese tourists are flocking towards South Korea for plastic surgery vacations.

In 2012, more than 32,000 tourists had hailed from China alone.

But what about surgery trends? The answer has also been found: when it comes to South Korea plastic surgery, while many requested procedures fall under “skin and hair”, facial reconstructing is near the top of the list, as well. 

Beauty ideals fluctuate and change within the years, but some things never change; neotenous features in women are seen as highly desirable by both men and women. The Asian beauty ideal that everyone seems to gravitate towards is that of having big, distinctively lidded eyes, fair skin, a defined nose, a slim body and a smaller jawline. Not surprisingly, those traits are aligned with neotenous features! 

Unfortunately, all this comes at a price. A lot of pain, a whole lot of pain. You can watch the video of an Asian women, Jessica Choi as she shares her journey, here: the pain of recovery.

Whoever said beauty is pain, well, they’re right. Would you undergo extreme surgery for the sake of beauty? Comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

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The 5 Most Famous Korean Plastic Surgery Hotspots of 2014

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery

Online and offline, famous Korean plastic surgery scare-stories, miraculous successes and cautionary tales are frequently reported. These days, cosmetic surgery is rarely seen as taboo in South Korea, where the media and ads are strongly encouraging the people to transform their faces and bodies.

Furthermore, figures from the latest plastic surgery statistics show that the proportion of Koreans who have gotten plastic surgery work has risen to 13.5 out of every 1,000 people. Are you interested in getting cosmetic surgery in Korea? Then you might be interested in the top 5 famous Korean plastic surgery hot spots of 2014:

 

Gangnam-gu

Besides its metropolitan atmosphere and fast-paced city life, the affluent Gangnam-gu is hands down the most concentrated in Seoul, when it comes down to the number of plastic surgery clinics. According to the Korea Herald, four out of ten plastic surgery clinics are based here.

You can never miss seeing a cosmetic surgery advertisement here. Many people accounting for the 13.5 in every 1,000 people statistic are getting less invasive procedures; commonly requested are the likes of botox and fillers. Still, ads on before and after pictures of face-altering procedures like double eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty are scattered about everywhere, from stations to buses.

Seochu-gu

As it turns out, Seocho-gu has the second-largest number of clinics in Seoul. As compared to Gangnam-gu, however, the total number of clinics in Seocho-gu equates to just about 20% of the number in Gangnam-gu.

Busan

Being the second largest metropolitan city in South Korea, after Seoul, Busan is another popular destination. Travellers that arrive to South Korea not just for cosmetic surgery alone, but to explore the culture and their many sights certainly don’t miss out here; the city has the world’s largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City as well as Korea’s largest beach and the longest river.

The statistics show that seven out of nine plastic surgery clinics are situated in the bustling Busanjin District.

Incheon

Not too far from Seoul, Incheon boasts as South Korea’s “English City”, where a program was conducted to make Incheon as much of an English-speaking city as possible.

About eighty percent of plastic surgeons have set up their business in the likes of Incheon, Busan and Daegu. However, sixty percent of them are based in Seoul.

Daegu

In the fourth largest city after Seoul, Busan and Incheon comes Daegu. While the two main religions in South Korea are Christianity and Buddhism, Daegu is a much more conservative city as compared to Seoul. Its main religion amongst the people is Buddhism.

Other facts: Due to their humid subtropical climate, this city is known to produce high quality apples hence given the nickname, “Apple City”. Aisde from that, their production of textiles used to be the main thing reeling in most of the city’s economy. Now, Daegu is focusing on cultivating their fashion and technology industries.

In terms of the number of plastic surgery clinics, Daegu shows a similar pattern like Busan.

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Does Gangnam Offer the Best Korean Plastic Surgery?

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery

Anyone who is a fan of K-POP will immediately associate the country’s beautiful celebrities to their cosmetic surgery industry – it’s no secret anymore: some celebrities have admitted that their physical beauty is not God-given, but the work of man. Perhaps this is why South Korea is gaining so much attention, being among the top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia.

If you’re reading this, you might very likely be someone who is looking to get plastic surgery done in Korea. Okay, so you’ve got your passport and other Korea travel essentials ready, you’ve flown to Korea, now what?  You might have many unanswered questions such as: among the many options to choose from, which surgeon and clinic to go for exactly? Which part of South Korea has the best Korean plastic surgery available? Friends and family may have directed you to check out Gangnam district’s clinics.

It is a fact that Gangnam has the most plastic surgery clinics in Seoul. According to the Korea Herald, four out of ten plastic surgery clinics are based in the Gangnam district, and about 1,245 self-employed surgeons had set up their business in large cities, with almost 60 percent of them based in Seoul. Other popular metropolitan areas include Busan, Daegu and Incheon. But Seoul’s total number of plastic surgeons accounted for 60% of the lot. Does Gangnam offer the best Korean plastic surgery? That question is too complex, so let’s break it down.

Is popularity always equals better service? Maybe, maybe not, but it does give a wider range of options to narrow down to a skilled surgeon. Some mistakes that people may make while deciding on the best option for them:

Thinking that popularity means better quality service
The most important factors include your individual case – what kind of surgery are you thinking of getting, and which surgeon is going to perform the procedure on you?

Thinking that Gangnam’s popularity is overrated
On the other hand, while popularity may not necessarily mean better service, again there is a wide range of options to choose from. Among the 1,245 self-employed surgeons, 60% are located in Seoul – chances are, you’ll find some decent professionals here!

Judging by all the ads around Seoul’s stations and streets, there are so many popular clinics, each claiming to be the best at what they do. It can get downright confusing! We would say, choosing your clinic based on word-of-mouth information from friends, family, relatives and experts is one of the better ways of deciding where to go from here. There is also an abundance of resources and information available on the internet, including the community over at the TouchUp forum. Research away!

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Along the Lines of Beauty: A Plastic Surgery in Korea Documentary

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery

 

This year has proved to be quite a unique time for cosmetic surgery culture, from a Brazilian man who undergoes surgery to look Asian, to the showing of a South Korean reality television show focusing on reversing the effects of plastic surgery – all these are stories involving plastic surgery in Asia with a twist.

That aside, while these are definitely peculiar and interesting stories, we cannot forget how it is considered normal in South Korea to get a double eyelid surgery, or the immense pressure put on its people to look picture perfect. In “Along the Lines of Beauty”, a plastic surgery in Korea documentary, many South Korean women are interviewed and asked about their opinions on cosmetic surgery, how they feel about the culture, as well as the prejudices and challenges they face while living in South Korean society.

A girl explains at the beginning of the video, “So many people look at you -- so many people here and you have to keep that image of yourself by wearing full set clothes and you’re kind of showing your face and your status in them – through what you wear.”

Another elaborates on the strict dress codes in Korean schools, a stark contrast to life after high school, “College is a time where you can show yourself the most, and it’s time to show yourself. Especially in Korean high school, you can’t really show yourself, you can’t really wear what you want, you can’t really have your own style. (…) College is the beginning, it’s when you start showing yourself – and I think freshman is kind of more pressured to wear pretty clothes because it’s like the initial point where you’re looking for your own identity.”

A girl compares the difference in her experiences while living outside and in Korea, “When I used to live overseas, I would hardly ever put makeup on (…) Now, I always do. I think it’s because in Korea, people care a lot about how they are perceived by other people – and like, also I think they’re very look-oriented. In other words, they don’t try to see what’s inside the people -- the inner beauty of people. That makes them concentrate more and more on the looks, especially the girls.”

There are a lot more stories shared in the documentary, if you enjoy first-hand anecdotes to get a better understanding of South Korean culture and its beauty standards, be sure to check out this Korean plastic surgery documentary on youtube!

You can also watch it embedded here:

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Malaysians Flock to Gangnam-gu Famous for Plastic Surgery in Korea

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery

Ah, South Korea, one of the top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia. The culture embraces everything beauty and body modification related, from selling snail mucus masks to providing jaw-shaving surgery. How obsessed or unhealthy these pursuits are? We can’t know that, but we do know that many flock to Gangnam-gu famous for plastic surgery in Korea. The statistics are unlikely to lie.

In 2012, The Korea Herald Industry Development Institute or KHID, collated the data and found that 32,503 tourists from China had travelled to South Korea for cosmetic surgery.

While Chinese tourists are said to be the largest group to enter the country for South Korea plastic surgery, the trendy destination lures Malaysians as well, with an average of 15 to 20 Malaysian patients being served in established hospitals or clinics; this average figure was reported by The Sun Daily, Malaysia’s first free daily newspaper.

You have solo travellers who are said to be the more conservative Malaysians, then there are those who are more open with their intentions and would join cosmetic surgery tours. For the South Korea plastic surgery experience, both groups are willing to spend tens of thousands of ringgit for anything ranging from a double eyelid surgery to more extreme forms.

It is said that most of them spend between the range of RM 15,000 and RM 30,000 to reshape and contour their facial features. It’s no secret that the culture’s K-POP sensation with its pretty ‘flower’ boys, petite and pretty faced women are not only well-liked for their music and performance by fans around the world, especially Asia, but many fans also desire for their looks.

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