Top 6 Scariest Plastic Surgery Procedures

The 'before' and 'after' of plastic surgery

The idea of plastic surgery may be repulsive to some, intriguing to others or just simply downright desirable. Whether you just want to know more about plastic surgery or are thinking about getting it, this is an in-depth description of the top 6 plastic surgery procedures, as well as the celebrities who are speculated to have done it. Because it is such a long post (and one of my more serious ones) Clt + F to find the procedure you’re looking for.

Two websites I recommend you to check out are Oz Clinic and BK Clinic; from which I sourced a lot of information. They are two of the most reputable plastic surgery clinics in South Korea and offer exclusive surgery which may be not available in western countries.

Oz Clinic: http://drpark.co.kr/eng/med02.htm     BK Clinic: http://english.bkclinic.com

Number 6: Nose Job

What is it? This procedure involves remodelling the shape, width and/or height of the nose. It can be used to fix a small bump on the nose (like Lee Minho’s picture below), or to create a higher nose bridge by inserting a nasal implant through the base of the nose (see Park Min Young’s picture).

The incision for the nose job will leave a small scar between your nostrils and will also leave the tip of your nose feeling hard when pressed. Furthermore, because of the implant, a person whose had a nose job can no longer do a ‘pig’s nose’ (i.e. push the tip of the nose upwards towards their face).

Actor Lee Minho - A subtle nose job?

What are some alternatives? An interesting alternative to a nose job is the ‘Beauty Lift High Nose‘ tool. Developed by Japanese company Omni, the tool claims to raise the bridge of the nose stimulating and vibrating the cartridge into a more upright position. This tool can be purchased for $140 at the Japanese Trend Shop (for US customers only).

Beauty Lift High Nose Tool

Another method is to simply use makeup to create the illusion of a slimmer and higher nose. This involves using a bright highlighting colour on surface of the nose (from just between the eyes to the tip of your nose). A darker colour is then blended out on both sides of the nose. The effect of contouring is quite natural and may be well worth the effort. The image below is taken from ‘makeupforlife’.

Left (no makeup), Right (with contouring)

Number 5: Double eyelids and ‘cutting corners’

What is it? Double eyelid surgery is used to create an eyelid fold, or to enlarge an existing one. There are two main surgical procedures to get double eyelids.

• The non incision method or suture method is more suitable for people with little eyelid fat and is popular because of it’s short recovery time (around 1 week). However, there is a possibility that the crease can disappear over time.
• The second method is the incision method which involves cutting into the eyelid itself. Cutting into your eyelids means that it will take a much longer time for the swelling to go down and there will be a faint line on your eyes, even when they have completely healed. However, this is more appropriate for people who have excess skin and eye fat, as both can be removed during the procedure.

There is also an option to ‘cut’ the inner corners of your eyes (epicanthoplasty) when getting your double eyelids done. Cutting the corners of your eyes will extend the length and shape of your eye, giving you more of a Goo Hara wide eye look. Your surgeon should advise you of the option to do this and if they don’t, you should bring it up. However, some surgeons won’t recommend this procedure for two reasons: 1) cutting the inner corners of your eyes may result in the eyes looking too close together, and 2) it can injure your tear ducts, thereby extending your recovery time.

Image taken from Oz Clinic's website. The left pic is the one who had her inner corner cut.

Problems and Solutions: The only part of your body that stays the same size from birth until your death is the size of your iris. Therefore, if you cut your eyelid crease too high or extend your corners too wide, it could leave your irises looking empty on the whites of your eyes (see below). Circle lenses are one way to cover up this problem. However, they are not a permanent solution and as of yet, there are no procedures to change the size of your irises.

What are some alternatives? Eyelid tape and eyelid glue are alternatives that you can consider if your scared of the surgery or simply don’t have the dough. They are also good for experimenting and working out your ideal crease size before visiting a surgeon, and can also give permanent double eyelids if used long enough. However, the reality is that you are putting (toxic?) glue on one of the most sensitive parts of your face and there are testimonies that the glue/tape can loosen your eyelid, causing drooping later on in life.

Some before and after pictures:

SNSD's Yuri - before and after eyelid surgery

Super Junior's Kyuhyun before and after eyelid surgery

After School's UEE

Number 4: Forehead and Chin implants

What are they? Chin implants are inserted by cutting through your lower lip or making an incision under your chin. They are usually requested by people who have a ‘protruding mouth’ and can be used to make the face slimmer, sharper and enhance the proportion of your features. This before and after photo below is taken from Oz Clinic’s website:

Celebrities who are speculated to have undergone chin surgery include China’s Barbie Hsu (from the original Meteor Garden) and Fan Bing Bing:

Barbie Hsu - Before and After?

Forehead implants are used to create the effect of a rounder forehead by inserting a  silicon implant into, well, the forehead. If opting for this procedure, you should plan a long stay in Korea because it can take up to 2 weeks to get a custom made silicon implant. Before and after pics from Oz Clinic’s website:

Risks: the highest risk is infection. As with every plastic surgery procedure, there is also the possibility of scaring.

Number 3: Rib removal

What is it? Rib removal involves getting the ‘floating ribs’ (no. 11 & 12) surgically removed in order to achieve a smaller waist, thereby obtaining an hourglass figure or S-line. Medically speaking, ribs are necessary to protect our internal organs from trauma/damage. Therefore, the rear portion of the floating ribs are kept during this procedure in order to maintain their functional purposes.

The coveted S-line: (left to right) Hyomin, Jun Ji Hyun, Minkyung, Shin Min Ah

Some alternatives: corset training is another way to achieve the desired hourglass figure or ‘S line’. Despite this, corset training shapes your waist over many years and effectively squashes your internal organs in the process. Massage hula hoops and certain pilates exercises also claim to tuck in your waist, however, there is only so much you can achieve because of your natural body type.

The effect of corset training on your organs

Number 2: Calf muscle reduction

What is it? Calf-muscle reduction is a less well known surgery but one that is gaining popularity in Asia. The reason for this is that it’s difficult to pinpoint which idols have had the surgery because the reduction in leg circumference can usually be attributed to weight loss. The safest way to reduce calf muscle is to undergo a procedure known as  partial gastrocnemius muscle resection. By reducing the muscle bulk, your legs will end up looking longer and more slender (i.e. more SNSD like).

What’s the risk? Because this is a relatively new procedure, I cannot stress the importance of going to an experienced doctor. It’s not like eyelid surgery, where you can get it done in China for $200. Following the surgery, you will have difficulty walking for around 2 weeks, and there is a question of whether or not secondary correction is available.

Cost: US$5000 – $10,000

Number 1: Jaw reduction surgery & Cheekbone shaving

What is it? Jaw reduction surgery usually involves cutting off a portion of the mandible or removing the outer cortex of the mandible in order to achieve a smaller or ‘V’ shaped jawline. Cheekbone reduction aims to do the same thing by either moving the bone inwards or shaving it to make the face smoother.

What are the benefits? One of the key benefits of jaw & cheek reduction surgery is that it can make a dramatic difference to you face by visually changing the proportion of your features. Jaw surgery is often carried out along side a ‘nose job’ as the harmonisation of your face depends on your jaw to nose ratio. Have a look at these before and after pictures from various sources on the internet:

Jaw surgery is also known to ‘kill two birds with one stone‘ because after the surgery you won’t be allowed to eat solid food for at least a month. This means that not only will you be shrinking your jawline you’ll be losing weight as well!

What are the risks? The biggest risk in this procedure is death.

What are some alternatives? While jaw & cheek shaving surgery seems like a dramatic procedure, the results themselves are also quite dramatic (in a good way). However, if you still want to get the desired ‘V’ face shape, without putting your life on the line (haha), you can try out these two fad products. The first is a face roller and the second is a face slimming mask.

Left (face roller), Right (Slimming mask) Both can be purchased on sites like Sasa.com

Now I have a face roller and I can testify to it’s poor results. Perhaps my face is just too large, but my face roller stretched and is now un-usable. On the other hand, face slimming masks seem to be quite popular in Korea, with celebrities testifying to their effectiveness.

xoxo

Nic

The source list is really too long to post up. But if you want any more info, shoot me an email.