By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
A growing number of Japanese are visiting Korea for cosmetic surgery or dermatological treatment this week by using their golden holidays from April 29 to May 6 in Japan. Golden week is a collection of four national holidays within seven days in the country.
Local newspaper Segye Ilbo reported that during the period, Japanese tourists are visiting plastic surgeons to get their faces treated.
Since the holiday is quite long _ ranging across Showa’s Day (May 1), Constitution Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4) and Children’s Day (May 5) _ Japanese find it attractive to come to Korea for the surgery that takes some time to heal.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, more than 76,000 people from Japan are expected to visit the country this week. A considerable number of them are coming to better improve their appearance during the period.
Hospitals in Seoul are heavily booked with Japanese reservations. The paper reported that Ana Clinic in Seoul took 40 reservations from the country in the past week. In past years the average was 20. Theme Dermatologist, also in Seoul, is experiencing a similar good run as it has received 30 reservations already. It usually gets about five a year.
In Busan, closer to Japan than other big cities, the number is bigger. A dermatologist said that the reservation rate is almost the same, but there are many visitors coming without prior bookings. ``I feel numbers have gone up already,’’ he said.
To those who want a reformed face or body shape, one of the most craved faces is that of Korean actress Choi Ji-woo, known as Ji-woo Hime in Japan. Some even bring her picture and ask them to ``make’’ their faces like hers.
The reason Korea is a hot spot for cosmetic surgery is the low cost. Most treatment is half the Japanese price, but some costs as little as 20 percent of the Japanese equivalent. Also, the fact that surgeons are very experienced attracts the visitors, too.
``There are customers from China, too. They must pay at least five to six times the price for the surgery in China, but they trust our skill and experience and they pay without complaint,’’ a plastic surgeon said.
The most favored operation is a double eyelid job and a nose job involving the injection of one’s own fat into the nose. The latter is very popular in Korea, especially during the long holiday period because it takes time for healing to take place.
Face-lifting and skin-whitening are also popular. Dermatologist Li Yi-seok said that there are several people having laser operations to tighten up and brighten their skins. ``It takes about two to three sessions with a two- to three-day gap in between,’’ he added.