40.9 percent said they became more confident, while 6.1 percent even said they now had a competitive edge in society. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea has one of the world’s highest plastic surgery rates. In 2015, over 1.1 million individuals went under the knife, and roughly one in five women aged between 19 and 50 claimed to have had at least one cosmetic procedure in their life.
Surprisingly, however, nine out of ten individuals who underwent cosmetic surgery believed that the procedure also helped change their personality.
According to a paper submitted to the Korean Society of Cosmetology by professors Lee Ji-mee (Sookmyung Women’s University) and Kim Ju-deok (Sungshin Women’s University), 91.3 percent of 402 surveyed female participants aged 20 and above who underwent cosmetic surgery said the procedure brought about changes in their personality.
The rate was higher for those in sales or in the service industry, at 94.7 percent.
The average satisfaction level of their physical appearance was 2.89 out of 5 points. Although no significant observation was made based on age or academic backgrounds, those with office jobs tended to be more satisfied with their looks than others, said the report.
In terms of the reasons for undergoing plastic surgery, 59 percent of the respondents said “not satisfied with their appearance,” which was followed by “to improve skin aging” (20.1 percent), “upon recommendation” (7 percent), and “because other people do it” (4.7 percent).
The average satisfaction level with the results of the surgery was 3.53 out of 5, with 43 percent of the respondents saying that they were perceived better in society after the surgery. Another 40.9 percent said they became more confident, while 6.1 percent even said they now had a competitive edge in society.
However, 29.9 percent said they experienced side effects from the procedure, with bruising and swelling being most common (39.3 percent), followed by skin pigmentation (13.8 percent), facial asymmetry (11 percent), and red marks or blush (8.3 percent).
By Joseph Shin (jss539@koreabizwire.com)
