By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
If you're planning a nose job, now might be the best time ― one of the top plastic surgeons in the country has recently offered a 60 percent discount. Unbeknownst to the public, one of the most lavish industries in Korea is now staggering from the economic meltdown sweeping the world.
Though the holiday season is typically the most popular for cosmetic surgeries for people wanting to ``refurbish their appearance,'' people are tightening their budgets due to tough economic times, and plastic surgery is one of the luxuries they're cutting back on.
A plastic surgeon who declined to be named said he had already seen a 50 percent fall in sales in the second half of last year. He said he was able to make a living in 2008 because he saw some earnings in the first half and that 2009 will be a real challenge. ``It is not only me as I heard some other doctors were considering temporarily closing because rental fees and wages for workers here are too high,'' he said.
Recently, one of the top rhinoplasty and breast implant clinics moved from the large streets of posh Apgujeong-dong in southern Seoul to a more remote location in order to find a cheaper place to rent, a major sacrifice in an industry in which image is everything
Industry insiders expect more doctors to close shop as the economy is unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future. Since most forms of plastic surgery are not covered by health insurance, more consumers will be reluctant to pay for it.
Most other so-called beautifying businesses are experiencing downturns.
The online world is full of advertisements for LASIK (visibility correction) surgery at massive discounts at well-known clinics. The price was once up to 2.5 million won. Some clinics are giving away coupons for additional services or discounts while some are even giving free ``trials'' to induce reluctant clients.
Medical clinics without surgeons that offered semi-plastic surgery are now closing shop. A thigh-beautifying clinic has recently changed its specialty to otorolaryngology, its original service. ``Since plastic surgeons are losing their appeal, many are going back to a profession that is at least covered by insurance,'' an official from a clinic said.
Yonhap News reported a recent meeting of 50 plastic surgeons running their own clinics in downtown Seoul. Some of their incomes were halved in the latter half of 2008. There were no new clinics and some hospitals with three to four doctors have split up and become individual practices, they said. One even said that one of the top five plastic surgeons in the country is about to go bankrupt, while the others agreed.