SKOREA-MEDICAL-COSMETIC-SURGERY

photo taken on July 12, 2013 shows doctors performing a liposuction procedure at the JK Medical Group plastic surgery hospital in Seoul. Skilled plastic surgeons in looks-obsessed South Korea are enjoying an unexpected boom as increasing numbers of foreigners seek aesthetic absolution in what is fast becoming the cosmetic procedure capital of the world. According to government data, overall medical spending by foreign visitors hit a record 116 million US dollars in 2011. Almost a half of all foreigners seeking a nose job, a facelift, a jawbone reduction or a tummy tuck were from China. Their number nearly tripled from 1,657 in 2009 to 4,400 in 2010. Clinics are are also reporting sweilling customer numbers from Japan, the Middle East, Africa, Veitnam, and Mongolia. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)