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SEOUL (Reuters) – When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old college student, had cosmetic nose surgery in mid-December, she had a simple reason: it might be the last chance to do it secretly before the people don’t start. remove masks this year as vaccines are distributed.
Ryu, who has been taking his online classes throughout 2020, said the ability to recuperate at home and wear a mask in public without attracting attention are deciding factors.
“I’ve always wanted to get a nose job … I thought it would be best to get it now before people start taking off the masks when the vaccines are available in 2021,” she said. said in preparing for the 4.4 million won ($ 4,013). procedure.
“There will be some bruising and swelling from the surgery, but since we will all be wearing masks, I think that should help,” she added.
This attitude is fueling demand for such operations in South Korea, which had already seen a resumption of cosmetic surgery in 2020.
The country has been a cosmetic surgery capital of the world even during non-pandemic times. The industry is estimated at around $ 10.7 billion in 2020, up 9.2% year-over-year, and is expected to hover around $ 11.8 billion this year, according to Gangnam Unni, the country’s largest online cosmetic surgery platform.
Cosmetic surgeons say patients are interested in all parts of the face: those that can be easily hidden under masks, like the nose and lips, as well as those that face covers don’t hide, which some consider the criteria of beauty in the era of the coronavirus.
“Surgical and non-surgical demands on the eyes, eyebrows, bridge of the nose and forehead – the only parts visible – have certainly increased,” said Park Cheol-woo, surgeon at WooAhIn Plastic Surgery Clinic, who was in charge of Ryu’s operation.
Surgeon Shin Sang-ho, who runs the Krismas Plastic Surgery Clinic in central Gangnam District, said many people have spent their emergency government stimulus payment on hospitals and clinics, thus increasing revenues in the third and fourth quarter of 2020.
“I felt like it was some sort of revenge spending. I felt clients were expressing their pent-up emotions (from the coronavirus) by getting cosmetic procedures, ”Shin said.
Government data showed that of 14.2 trillion won ($ 12.95 billion) of government cash donations, 10.6% was used in hospitals and pharmacies, the third largest segment by classification behind supermarkets and restaurants, although details of hospital types were not disclosed.
Data from Gangnam Unni showed that its users jumped 63% from last year to around 2.6 million last year. They requested 1 million counseling sessions, double the amount from the previous year.
The pandemic has made it more difficult to promote services to overseas clients, so over the past year it has taken a more local and regional approach.
But a third wave of coronavirus at home remains a concern as the country reports record daily cases.
“We have recently seen an increasing number of cancellations during consultation appointments, as more people refrain from going outside … especially clients in the suburbs have mostly postponed their surgeries to 2021, ”Park said.
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