Study Reveals That South Korea Has The Fourth-Highest Number Of Plastic Surgeries With Almost A Million Out Of More Than 20 Million Cosmetic Procedures Performed Globally In 2014
Over 20 million cosmetic procedures were performed around the world last year and South Korea remains to be one of the leading countries to have performed plastic surgeries in a year. South Korea is accountable for almost 1 million out of these figures, CBS News forecasts on Monday.
According to a statistics revealed by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) on July 8, United States remains to be the leading country to have performed surgical and nonsurgical procedures in 2014 with 20.1% or more than 4 million.
Brazil placed second with 10.2% or more than 2 million cosmetic procedures performed last year, while Japan has over 1 million procedures or 6.2%, followed by South Korea with 4.8%.
"We have improved our survey methodology to reflect a detailed profile of our field," says ISAPS President Susumu Takayanagi, MD. "Our society is committed to following sound analytical practices in creating this valuable report."
Other countries such as Mexico, Germany, France and Colombia are also included in the list with 3.5%, 2.6%, 2.1% and 1.8% respectively.
A 20-year-old South Korean Sally Park says plastic surgery "is even a common gift" among graduating students in the country. She adds that almost all of her friends have undergone procedures.
On the other hand, 23-year-old Kim Eun Som prepares before her surgery in one of the biggest cosmetic hospitals in South Korea.
"When I told my friends I was going to get this surgery, their reaction was bland...they weren't surprised," Kim says.
"She thinks she has a very haggard look- a very skeletonized look, which makes her look older than her age," says Doctor Oh Myeong Joon. "And she wants to have a more babyish face or a younger face."
Oh adds that in South Korea, beauty is often viewed as a requisite to get ahead of everyone in the country.
"I think it's more competitive than other areas of the world--very highly educated--so you can't just have a good spec on your resume. Because everyone has good grades, everybody has all the credentials, so how are you going to get ahead of it?"
Meanwhile, Kim seems to be delighted of how the surgery went as she says, "I think I will be stressed out less. Since the depressed areas of my face are now filled with fat, I think I will be able to live a brighter life."
While many South Koreans, women and men, go through cosmetic surgeries these days, South Korean photographer Ji Yeo decided not to undertake any of them. However, she revealed that she was one of those who dreamed of having these procedures when she was still a teen.
"I wanted to get my entire face done, liposuction for the whole body, everything," says Yeo, as noted by Refinery 29 on Monday. "I wanted to change my entire look."
She adds that cosmetic surgery is "not something that's rare" in the country. She says that it is often considered "a very quick, safe procedure."
