Back in the day, the (pretty much) undisputed beauty capital of the world was Paris, both for high fashion and cosmetics. Then, in the 1980s, French makeup manufacturers began to outsource their work to Korea. Since then, new cosmetics manufacturers started cropping up in the East Asian nation. Today, Seoul may be considered the beauty capital of the world. You’ve probably heard about (or even tried) the now famous multi-step Korean beauty regimen, but how do Koreans actually feel about cosmetic procedures done by dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons?
As it turns out, they feel very strongly and positively about these procedures. Laws in South Korea pertaining to the use of injectables are much more lax than they are in the United States, so they have a number of different options for what kinds of injectables they might want to use. That’s not necessarily all positive; the FDA has only approved a few injectables because only a few have been proven to be safe and effective by their stringent standards. The flip side is that injectables in South Korea are more widely available than here.
South Korea also lacks the social stigma surrounding cosmetic procedures that you’ll often find in the USA. There are high-rises on which multiple floors are dedicated to dermatology and related fields. This is, in part, because South Koreans are much more willing than their North American counterparts to have cosmetic work done regularly – we’re talking about weekly or even daily maintenance treatments. This is fueled, in large part, by their broad social acceptance of cosmetic procedures.
This acceptance, coupled with the widespread use of cosmetic procedures, has led to a sharp decline in prices for injectables in Korea. Where Botox injections in America can cost hundreds of dollars, you may be charged merely tens of dollars in Seoul. That’s exciting; it implies that if we were more accepting of cosmetic procedures here in the States, prices would sharply decline. That’s a virtuous circle; as prices go down, more people can get cosmetic procedures which will lead to more acceptance which will lead to more use which leads to prices going down. A good thing all around!
There’s a lot of innovation going on in Seoul, from the different types of injectables they’ll use to the different procedures they’ll try. This is born in part from a willingness by patients to try cutting-edge, new procedures. This isn’t to say, however, that there’s no innovation happening in the USA. Take, for example, Dr. Newman’s Stem Cell Facelift procedure which uses stem cells found naturally in your body in order to rejuvenate your appearance. Get inspired by the South Korean way of thinking and try the truly special, cutting-edge cosmetic procedures being developed right here.
Looking your best doesn’t always mean going under the knife anymore; there are a lot of incredible new ways to do cosmetic procedures. Dr. Newman is a board certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills with a focus on creating new techniques to increase patient comfort and satisfaction. Don’t let cosmetic procedures be a secret anymore; try new techniques with pride!
