Patients need certificates to prove their identity

South Korea is a popular destination for Chinese medical tourists but the expertise of Korean plastic surgeons is causing problems at passport control.

South Korea is a popular destination for Chinese medical tourists but the expertise of Korean plastic surgeons is causing problems at passport control.
Some patients have been challenged when presenting their passports because the passport photograph doesn’t match their new look.
To overcome the problem, cosmetic surgery clinics in Gangnam, a popular Korean destination for Chinese patients, are issuing their patients with a “plastic surgery certificate”. According to a report on Kotaku, “the certificates include the patient’s passport number, the length of their stay, the name and location of the hospital as well as the hospital’s official seal to certify the document.”
The story has received extensive coverage in the UK’s Daily Mail. Take a look at the before and after photos:

• Plastic surgery in South Korea is now so good that people travelling home afterwards need certificates to prove who they are

Many Chinese patients visit Korea, seeking a “Western nose” and “Western eyes”.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (latest data for 2011), Korea ranks 7th in the world in terms of the number of plastic surgeons (1,250 compared to 450 in the UK and 5,950 in the USA) and 7th in terms of the number of plastic surgery procedures undertaken.
China carries out more rhinoplasties (51,680 in 2011) than any other country in the world according to ISAPS. Korea recorded 31,863 rhinoplasties in 2011.

Now there’s a certificate that will bring international patient business to Korean plastic surgery clinics!