Seoul Preens and Manila Pouts: Asian Players in Cosmetic Surgery

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South Korea Plans Inroads Into Medical Tourism

With the number of Asian medical tourism countries welcoming foreigners with a “Give me your bulbous nose, your flat chest, your saggy bottom…” increasing every day, South Korea, it seems, doesn’t intend to get left out of the cosmetic surgery race.  With China throwing up stiff competition in the slim Plasma market, the country is now offering the world slim bodies and facial features that match.  You have to admit South Korea has an edge.  The Korean Wave consisting of nubile, thin nosed, finely chisel faced pop starlets has swept across Asia, and where better to go to get a nose you could slice bread with than the land of petite features?   

The Seoul metropolitan government has launched a project aimed at attracting more medical tourism vacationers to the country.  Cosmetic surgery is big business in South Korea with an estimated 40% of respondents in a recent survey admitting to having work done.  Students who want to land a plum job undergo a quick procedure to tweak things a little, and guarantee an appointment letter.  All this tweaking has apparently given the country’s cosmetic surgeons unmatched experience, and they intend to draw on this to lure Westerners.   

Philippines Medical Tourism Draws Funds Away From Basic Healthcare

Meanwhile, in the neighboring Philippines, criticism is rising against investing heavy amounts of money in medical tourism facilities when much of the population lacks access to basic healthcare.  Medical tourism has long been a lucrative business here, and thousands of foreigners visit for the low cost of cosmetic surgery procedures.  A nose job surgery for instance could cost less than $245 for nasal injections, while for a surgical nose lift, the cost of the nose job surgery could be less than $735.  Critics say with all the emphasis on luring foreigners, healthcare for the locals has suffered.