SEOUL (Reuters) – When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old college student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: it could be the last chance to covertly before people start taking masks off this years while vaccines are distributed.
Ryu, who took her courses online in 2020, said the ability to recover at home and wear a mask in public without drawing attention were decisive factors.
“I’ve always wanted to get a nose job … I thought it would be best to get it now before people take off masks when vaccines become available in 2021,” she said as she prepared for the 4.4 win. million ($ 4,013). procedure.
“There will be bruising and swelling from the surgery, but since we will all be wearing masks, I think that should help,” she added.
That attitude is fueling the demand for such operations in South Korea, which had already seen a resurgence in cosmetic surgery by 2020.
The country was a world capital of cosmetic surgery even in non-pandemic times. The industry is estimated to be worth about $ 10.7 billion by 2020, up 9.2% year-on-year, and is expected to hover around $ 11.8 billion this year, according to Gangnam Unni, the largest online platform for cosmetic surgery of the country.
Cosmetic surgeons say that patients are interested in all areas of the face: those that can be easily hidden under masks, such as the nose and lips, as well as those that are not hidden by facial covers, some of which consider the criteria of beauty in the face. coronavirus era.
“Both surgical and nonsurgical questions about eyes, eyebrows, bridge of the nose and forehead – the only visible parts – have certainly increased,” said Park Cheol-woo, a surgeon at WooAhIn Plastic Surgery Clinic, who was in charge of Ryu’s surgery. .
Surgeon Shin Sang-ho, who runs the Krismas Plastic Surgery Clinic in the center of Gangnam district, said many people have spent their government emergency stimulus in hospitals and clinics, increasing revenues in the third and fourth quarters of 2020 .
‘I felt like it was some kind of revenge expense. I’ve noticed that customers express their pent-up emotions (from the coronavirus) by undergoing cosmetic procedures, ”said Shin.
Government data showed that of the 14.2 trillion won ($ 12.95 billion) government spending in cash, 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.
Gangnam Unni data showed that users were up 63% from a year earlier to about 2.6 million last year. They asked for 1 million counseling sessions, double that of the year before.
The pandemic made it more difficult to promote services to foreign customers, so for the past year it embraced a more local and regional focus.
But a third wave of home coronavirus remains a concern as the country reports record-breaking daily cases.
“We’ve seen a growing number of cancellations in consultation appointments lately as people refrain from going outside … especially suburban customers have usually delayed their operations until 2021,” said Park.