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How Covid-19 Is Changing Asia’s Plastic Surgery Scene

The pandemic has boosted demand for medical aesthetic procedures and reshored local demand. Who’s reaping the rewards?
A patient checks her appearance after undergoing a cosmetic rhinoplasty and eye procedures at the JK Medical Group plastic surgery hospital in Seoul. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images.
A patient checks her appearance after undergoing a cosmetic rhinoplasty and eye procedures at the JK Medical Group plastic surgery hospital in Seoul. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images.
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“Doctors are busy doing five to 10 surgeries a day at this time,” says Kang Shin-woo, general manager at All About Mei, a Seoul-based platform connecting prospective patients with clinics in Asia’s plastic surgery mecca. Lunar New Year, known locally as Seollal, meant February was especially hectic for clinics in the capital, which has avoided imposing a full lockdown since the pandemic broke out.

About the author
Zoe Suen

Zoe Suen is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. Suen is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant who writes about luxury fashion and beauty.

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