Plastic Surgery in Korea

When It All Started

Plastic surgery first entered mainstream South Korean culture after the Korean War in the late 1950s and early 1960s. American military doctors performed double-eyelid surgeries to fix the “oriental eyes″ of native patients, and the use of reconstructive surgery as a means of self-improvement quickly caught on across the war-torn peninsula. In 1974, the Supreme Court of South Korea approved cosmetic plastic surgery as a medical practice, bringing legal and social legitimization to the fast-growing business.

Now, plastic surgery is embedded within urban South Korean culture. It’s not uncommon for high school students to receive cosmetic surgery as a graduation present, and there are numerous apps, YouTube videos and blogs available to help people select the clinic and physiological redesign that’s right for them. And while there has been a recent increase in Korean men using plastic surgery to alter their appearance, South Korea’s booming plastic surgery industry continues to largely have an impact on women. According to a 2015 survey by Gallup Korea, 14% of South Korean women have undergone some form of plastic surgery — although that statistic jumps to 30% for women in their 20s in particular. In contrast, a Pew Research survey found that only 7% of women in the United States have had plastic surgery, with breast augmentation and liposuction listed as the most popular cosmetic procedures in the country.

Today, South Korea is widely considered the “plastic surgery capital” of the world, boasting the highest number of cosmetic procedures per capita worldwide, with more than 600 clinics in Seoul alone. In a 2011 report, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimated that nearly 650,000 cosmetic procedures were performed in South Korea that year. South Korea’s international plastic surgery clientele has expanded significantly as well: About 50,000 foreign patients received plastic surgery in the country last year, paying a collective sum of $189 million for double eyelid surgeries, double jaw surgeries (a procedure that cuts and rearranges the upper and lower jawbones to create a slimmer jawline) and other various facial and body modifications.

For more information about the article:

• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/korea-plastic-surgery_l_5d72afb0e4b07521022c00e1

Other useful links related to Korean plastic surgery:

• https://what-is-plastic-surgery.peatix.com/
• https://plastic-surgery-types.mailchimpsites.com/
• https://startupmatcher.com/p/plasticsurgerysg-1
• https://share.nuclino.com/p/Liposuction-Surgery-VxZV8JYRrS0YBfvztiSV3-
• https://artmight.com/user/profile/111552