Operation: Overseas

In search of more practiced hands, more youth are choosing to sojourn for surgery.

In December of 2014, two childhood friends returned to Singapore from a week in Seoul. Along with stacks of face masks, lip tints and jars of Osulloc green tea spread, the two 30-year-olds brought home a few less conventional buys: two new noses, one pair of freshly cut double eyelids, and a less-than-satisfactory jawline.

In Singapore, plastic surgery clinics are just a few MRT stations away. Yet, Roxanne Chia and Alexis Cheong aren’t the only young people here who choose to travel several hours for their operations. In fact, they’re of the majority.

As youths grow more confident about going under the knife, finding the best surgeon for the job is the first thing on their list. And the way they see it, only practice makes perfect. Seven in eight millennials interviewed opted to have their nips and tucks done overseas. Their reason: Apart from more affordable procedures, surgeons there are more experienced.

And they aren’t the only ones feeling this way. A 2015 report by research firm BMI Research said Singapore, once a choice hub for medical tourism, is losing customers to neighbouring countries who are stepping up their game. Medical tourists’ spending in Singapore dropped from $1.11 billion in 2012 to $832 million in 2013, according to Singapore Tourism Board figures.

Local veteran surgeons like Dr. Leslie Kuek, 65, who has more than 25 years of practice, operate up to six or seven times a week. But it seems that isn’t enough.

A cut above

Roxanne always knew she wanted her nose job done in South Korea, because most of the blog reviews, YouTube videos, and online forums she’d come across were about the country.

“I honestly don’t know anyone who has done their surgery in Singapore,” said the beauty and lifestyle blogger. “But I know many people who have done it in Korea.”

In search of expertise, many Singaporeans are flocking to South Korea, widely branded as the plastic surgery mecca of the world. In 2015 the country racked up 1,156,234According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery cosmetic procedures – the highest number in Asia and third in the world, just after the US and Brazil.

The booming scene has made Seoul a top destination for Singaporean medical tourists, who have greater confidence in Korean plastic surgeons for their sheer experience.

At TL Plastic Surgery Clinic in Gangnam, Roxanne was told her nose job would be more complicated than expected, and require her to return to Seoul a year after for a second operation.

But the Korean prestige was worth the hassle and extra flight ticket. “Even if the surgery was the same price in Singapore, I would still have gone to Korea because their reputation is better,” she said.

The same idea that more practiced hands means a better final result is gaining speed outside Korea too. 24-year-old Fiona Tan* had her double eyelid procedure done in Jakarta because she felt practitioners there had sufficient experience to do a better job.

“I wouldn’t want someone who only does the procedure once or twice a month to do it on my face,” said the university undergraduate, who paid approximately $900 at Nana Eyebrow & Beauty salon for the dissolvable stitches above her eyes. When she left the operating room, there was another person outside patiently awaiting her turn.

“Singapore is just not known for plastic surgery; and Nana does this at least three times a day,” Fiona said.

“I always choose Singapore for a good diagnosis when it comes to my health in general – but not for aesthetic treatment.”

A universal risk

But ultimately, a cosmetic procedure, anywhere, comes with its risks. Local surgeon Dr. Tan Ying Chien, 44, said whether millennials decide to go under the knife locally or abroad, they must understand that things may not always go as planned.

Alexis flew to Seoul for a double eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty and jaw procedure, under a partial sponsorship from medical tourism agentEnglish-speaking medical tourism agents play the middleman by recommending and liaising with suitable clinics for their foreign customers, arranging land transport and sending designated representatives to ensure consultations and procedures run smoothly.

DocFinderKorea is a go-to choice for many Singaporeans looking to fly to Korea for a fuss-free fix. According to managing director Shin Park, about 35% of their clients come from Singapore, of which most are aged between 18 - 35. DocFinderKorea.

Although DocFinderKorea made the process much easier for her, the freelance digital and social consultant had some gripes with her procedures.

“The only regret I have is the Acculift procedure,” she said, gingerly fingering her jawline. The laser sculpting procedure, meant to tighten the jaw, was recommended to her by a Korean surgeon during Alexis’s first consultation at Banobagi. She’d agreed to it despite not really knowing what it was.

“I think it wasn’t necessary because it didn’t make my jaw tighter like it was supposed to – which I would have known if I had done more research,” she added. Still, overall, she is happy with her new and improved features.

And even after practising for almost 17 years, Dr. Tan still tells his clients to be prepared to accept that nothing is perfect.

“This isn’t Photoshop, so we can’t get exactly what we want,” said Dr. Tan. “In any good hands there will be risk.”

One thing is clear – for these dauntless young individuals, when it comes to going the distance for identity, no risk is too large to take.