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SEOUL: When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old college student, underwent cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: It might be the last chance to do it covertly before people start. to take off the masks. this year while vaccines are distributed.
Ryu, who has been attending his courses online throughout 2020, said the ability to recover at home and wear a mask in public without drawing attention were deciding factors.
“I always wanted to get a nose job … I thought it would be better to do it now before people start taking off their masks when vaccines become available in 2021,” he said while preparing for the 4.4 million won (4013 US dollars) procedure.
“There will be bruising and swelling from the surgery, but since we will all wear masks, I think that should help,” he added.
Park Cheol-woo, director of WooAhIn Plastic Surgery Clinic, performs nose plastic surgery in Ryu Han-na amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Seoul, South Korea, on December 17, 2020 (Photo : Reuters / Kim Hong-Ji).
That attitude is driving demand for such operations in South Korea, which had already seen a rebound in cosmetic surgery in 2020.
The country has been the world capital of cosmetic surgery even in non-pandemic times.
The industry is estimated to be worth about US $ 10.7 billion in 2020, up 9.2 percent year-on-year, and is expected to be around US $ 11.8 billion this year, according to Gangnam Unni, the surgery platform. largest online aesthetic in the country.
Cosmetic surgeons say patients are interested in all parts of the face: those that can be easily hidden under masks, such as the nose and lips, as well as those that do not hide facial coverings, which some consider beauty criteria. in the era of the coronavirus.
“Surgical and non-surgical consultations about the eyes, the eyebrows, the bridge of the nose and the forehead, the only visible parts, certainly increased,” said Park Cheol-woo, a surgeon at WooAhIn Plastic Surgery Clinic, who was at charge of Ryu’s operation.
READ: Putting your best face on: how South Korean men are shaping the beauty industry
Surgeon Shin Sang-ho, who operates the Krismas Plastic Surgery Clinic in central Gangnam district, said that many people have spent their government emergency stimulus payment on hospitals and clinics, increasing revenue in the third and fourth quarter of 2020.
“I felt it was some kind of revenge expense. I felt that clients were expressing their repressed emotions (about the coronavirus) through cosmetic procedures,” said Shin.
Government data showed that of the 14.2 trillion won ($ 12.95 billion) handed out in cash by the government, 10.6 percent was used in hospitals and pharmacies, the third-largest segment by ranking. behind supermarkets and restaurants, although details of the types of hospitals were not disclosed.
Data from Gangnam Unni showed that its users increased 63 percent from the previous year to approximately 2.6 million last year. They requested 1 million counseling sessions, double the previous year.
READ: South Korea says third wave of COVID-19 is contained, the fewest infections in almost 4 weeks
The pandemic made it difficult to promote services to foreign clients, so in the last year it took a more local and regional approach.
But a third wave of coronavirus in the home remains a concern, as the country reports record daily cases.
“We’ve seen an increasing number of consultation appointment cancellations recently as people refrain from going out more … especially suburban clients postponed their surgeries until 2021,” Park said.
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