The residents of the United States are known to take pride in their appearance. Americans are not only fashion-conscious but they’re also fans of cosmetic surgery. Perceived flaws are removed or altered in an effort to help people look and feel their best in both work and social situations. While Americans are well known for their love of plastic surgery, there is another country that is currently experiencing a rise in its overall number of plastic surgeries performed annually.
The country of South Korea is the world leader in the number of plastic surgeries that are performed on an annual basis. Statistics show that around 20% of all women in South Korea have undergone some form of plastic surgery. This is a huge number compared to the United States where only 5% of women have undergone some form of surgery.
Figures released earlier this decade by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery showed that one in every seventy-seven Koreans underwent some form of cosmetic surgery. The reason for its popularity is similar to the reasons Americans get plastic surgery. They want to feel more confident about the way they look and how they are perceived by others. They also want to remove what they see as unsightly features such as scars or moles.
One of the more interesting facts about the plastic surgery boom in South Korea is the amount of people who are getting procedures done at such a young age. Many teenagers get blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, once they graduate high school in order to get a more detailed eye appearance. Many teens receive nose jobs as gifts from their relatives.
The demand for plastic surgery has also sparked a demand for professional plastic surgeons in the country. It’s estimated that South Korea has more than 2000 plastic surgeons in the country. The amount of money spent every year on plastic surgery in the country doesn’t come only from the residents of South Korea. In fact, Chinese tourists represent 70% of the foreign clientele who travel to South Korea for cosmetic surgery. Thanks to the amount of plastic surgeons available to perform procedures in the country, a report by China’s Ministry of Health showed that the residents of China made 56,000 trips to South Korea in 2014 to have procedures performed. (1)
Why such an influx of Chinese patients? The growth is due to a couple of factors including:
One interesting side effect to the boom of plastic surgery in South Korea is some patients have to prove they’ve had plastic surgery in order to prove their identities. Two South Korean media outlets, Onboa and Munhwa, are reporting that many people who have travelled to the country for a procedure “now need plastic surgery certificates to prove they actually are who they say they are.” (2)
As mentioned above, one of the most popular procedures is blepharoplasty. This procedure can give patients a more western look in their eyes by making their appearance more rounded. While they might be happy with their post-surgery look, the final results are making it harder for authorities to identify the person. The new look they have after a procedure doesn’t match the appearance they had previously in pre-operation ID photos. Authorities are requiring a certificate that proves the person in question had a plastic surgery procedure and, is in fact, the person in the ID photo.
The one downside to the plastic surgery boom is the increasing number of complaints from patients about unqualified doctors, botched procedures and “ghost doctors” who fill in for the more qualified doctor during surgery. Even with the growing number of complaints, the boom in plastic surgery in South Korea promises to continue as long as the desire for a “more western appearance” is in style in Asian countries. With the number of procedures performed in recent years continuing to grow, as well as the number of plastic surgeons available to patients, there is no sign of any slowdown in the near future.
Reference:
- MA
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