The rise of ‘tweakment tourism' to South Korea

Times

7 days ago

W hether or not you're officially on board the K-beauty train, chances are that a Korean influence has crept into your routine. Maybe over the past decade you've mysteriously found yourself drawn to the 'dewy' look. That's mostly down to K-beauty. And if at any point you've purchased a CC cream, a cushion foundation or a sheet mask, then you also have South Korea to thank. But this soft-powerhouse of a country isn't just shaping global beauty trends and exporting some of the most sought-after brands (Laneige, Beauty of Joseon and Erborian, to name a few) to the rest of us. It's also luring tourists into its aesthetics clinics.
Beauty isn't so much an industry in South Korea as a way of life. 'There's a mantra there that within a beautiful body rests a beautiful soul,' says Dr Christine Hall, a British-Korean GP who practises aesthetic medicine at the Taktouk Clinic in Knightsbridge. The importance of presenting the best version of yourself is ingrained from young, she explains, and considered a sign of respect for others. 'There are good and bad sides to this — there's a lot of pressure to look good.' It has ultimately led South Korea to be a world leader not only in products but also in treatments: Seoul has more plastic surgeons per capita than anywhere else on the planet. 'It's estimated that South Korea is about 10 to 12 years ahead of us when it comes to beauty innovations. As an example, PDRN [the buzzed-about salmon DNA treatment that has taken off in the UK] arrived in South Korea in 2014. In fact, it was first formulated into a cosmetic injectable there.'