Plastic surgery has become as popular in Korea as anywhere in the world! By now, Koreans along with most other neighboring Asian nations have all sorts of plastic surgery done to their bodies. It’s become a huge industry for Korea, and in some places plastic surgeon offices now line the streets in Gangnam and Apgujang. Enter into one of the more prominent plastic surgeon’s waiting areas and you’ll no doubt find photos of the famous Korean celebrities that have gone under the knife at that particular establishment.

Most of us have parts of our bodies that we’d like to see changed. For me, I had a big nose growing up, big feet, and a small chest. I was always self-conscious about these things growing up. As for Richard, he always wished he was a bit taller with a more athletic build. Plastic surgery has a way of changing our bodies to improve the image of ourselves. As well, it can help people fit into a mold that others find appealing. It’s weird how we can do this now so easily in the 21st century, but it is available for anyone who can afford it, and for those not squeamish enough to have some part of their body cut open.

Though neither of us are completely sure about the statistics when it comes to plastic surgery in Korea, we are pretty confident about one thing: the double eyelid surgery is probably the most popular here. We’ve both met many people since being in Korea (mostly females) that have had this procedure done. In fact, come to think of it, I don’t know any men who have had it done. For those that aren’t familiar with it, the double eyelid surgery is when a doctor cuts above the eyelid to create a second one. Somewhere around 50% of Asians are born only with a single eyelid, so this procedure helps anyone who would like rounder, bigger eyes to achieve that. Most Kpop stars and Korean celebrities have had this procedure done, and its safe to say that virtually any person wishing to break into either of those industries will have to have it done as well if they want to succeed.

Plastic surgery has become so popular and mainstreamed in Korea that people now come from all over the world to have it done here. Case in point: the Korean government has now opened up a separate line in customs security at the airport only for those coming to Korea exclusively to get plastic surgery done. You heard that right, coming off the airplane you must stand in a different line than everyone else if you’re coming to Korea to get a procedure done on your body. We saw this one of the last times we were coming back into Korea from a trip, and Richard and I were shocked. We had never seen anything like this before, and it laid to rest our suspicions about whether plastic surgery was doing well in Korea or not. Plastic surgery is super hot at the moment in Korea, and it looks like it might be here to stay.

There’s so much more we could write but a lot of it is just our opinion and we don’t want to blather on forever. If you’re interested in learning more or even possibly having some done, it’s probably best to do some internet searches to find the specific information you may be looking for. And if you still find yourself wanting plastic surgery after that, Korea may just be the place to get it done!