Nai-Nai Okamura also confessed to having a petit plastic surgery in Seoul… Men also repeat the procedure as if it were an esthetic treatment, the state of modern cosmetic medicine in South Korea

A “little Botox on your lunch break” with after-lunch…

A friend of mine, Mr. A, recently went to Korea on a trip. He is a very average man in his 40s, but he had his spots removed at a beauty clinic.

I heard that Okamura-san from Nai-Nai had a laser spot removal in Korea and he said it was cheap, so I wondered what it would be like. I wondered what it would be like. It didn’t feel like a hospital, and the atmosphere was easy to enter. The doctor spoke good Japanese and seemed to be giving me advice at a beauty salon. The procedure, including counseling, took about an hour (note: it varies depending on the procedure), and they even took care of the tax exemption procedure for me, which was really nice.

We asked “Abijou Clinic Myeongdong Branch,” where Mr. A actually underwent the procedure, about the latest beauty treatments in Korea and the trends among Japanese people.

Beauty treatment” and “cosmetic surgery” are two different things. In Korea, it is common to go to a cosmetic clinic as if it were a salon.

Abijou Clinic is a beauty clinic with 18 clinics in Korea, centering on Seoul. The clinic’s main selling point is that everything is handled in Japanese, from making reservations by phone or on line to treatment and aftercare.

In the past, there were clinics that added the cost of an interpreter to the medical fee, but now that we live in an Internet society, information spreads quickly, and there are fewer such clinics.

Prices depend on the procedure, but they range from half the price in Japan to about one-fifth the price in some cases. The large number of patients they treat keeps prices low, and some Japanese say, “I go every three months because I can fly by LCC cheaply and get a good return on my investment.

I don’t think it’s an atmosphere where people come here with serious concerns. In the past, people had a strong image of plastic surgery, but now they are more likely to say, “I’m going to get Botox during my lunch break,” or “If I have to buy expensive lotion, a laser will be more effective. Especially for pigment care such as spots, the more often you do it, the more effective it is, so many people come to our clinic regularly as if they were at an esthetic salon.

As I learned during my visit, “cosmetic medicine” and “cosmetic surgery” are two different things in Korea. It seems that many cosmetic dermatology clinics do not perform surgery.

Abijou also does not perform surgery. In Korea these days, beauty clinics like ours are called “cosmetic dermatology. Some of them do both cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine.

Japanese people who want to have cosmetic surgery take long vacations to come to Korea, but in the case of cosmetic dermatology, it only takes one day, so they buy creams and other products for aftercare, and if they have any concerns after returning home, they consult on line.

Facial laser hair removal, about 13,000 won for men, and mole removal, about 1,160 won each…and tax free!

For example, if a man in his 30s or 40s who is reading this article decides to take up beauty, he would like to know where he can start the process.

I think it’s a good idea to start with easy facial laser hair removal. It costs 119,900 won (about $13,000) to have your chin, cheeks, beard, and mustache removed. You may also want to have pimple scars trimmed or a mole you are interested in removed, starting at 11,000 won (about 1160 yen) per piece, and if it reappears after removal, retouching is free for Japanese residents only, as many times as you like.”

In Japan, there are still very few men who go to esthetic clinics or beauty clinics, but Mr. A said, “There were quite a few older men there. It seems that not only young men, but also men in professions that involve public appearances are particularly careful about their appearance. Come to think of it, Korean men’s skin looks smooth and shiny regardless of their age, and their spots and sagging skin are not noticeable.

Some people may wonder if there is any point in having this treatment, given the fact that they cannot afford to travel to Korea frequently. However, Mr. A’s awareness of beauty has changed as a result of his continued aftercare. In fact, just like taking care of one’s personal appearance, it may be the spirit that is important.

• The yen conversions in this article are based on the rate as of January 31, 2023.
• *Treatment prices are subject to change.

Click here for the website of “Abijou Clinic