This photo taken on May 3, 2022, shows students at Ewha Womans University in Seoul as the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate on May 2. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — With the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate earlier this year, more Koreans in their 20s are frequenting skin and plastic surgery clinics.
Monimo, a new integrated brand and unified platform of Samsung Group’s financial affiliates, reported a 26 percent increase in spending among Samsung Card holders between the ages of 20 and 50 at skin and plastic surgery clinics compared to last year.
Their spending at plastic surgery clinics in the second quarter was 25 percent higher than last year.
Sorted by age, spending at skin and plastic surgery clinics jumped overall among those in their 20s to 50s in the second quarter.
The 20s age group saw the largest rate of increase, with young Koreans spending 43 percent more at skin clinics and 41 percent more at plastic surgery clinics.
They were followed by those in their 40s, who spent around 30 percent more at skin and plastic surgery clinics in the second quarter of this year, investing more in their skin than those in their 30s.
Those in their 30s spent 25 percent more at skin clinics and 20 percent more at plastic surgery clinics, while 50-somethings spent 19 and 18 percent more, respectively.
Industry watchers believe that the end of social distancing measures left many consumers struggling to reveal their faces, raising the incentive for visiting skin and plastic surgery clinics to take care of their skin problems.
Wearing facial masks during the pandemic has allowed many to ‘cover up’ acne and other skin problems. With the restrictions lifted, people are returning to skin and plastic surgery clinics for treatment.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
