Japan vs Korea

Jujin, the first hospital for cosmetic surgery in Japan, opened its doors in the 1930s, sealing the nation's reputation as pioneers in the field. Across the Sea of Japan, Korean doctors started to learn about plastic surgery only 10 years later according to the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Fast forward halt a century to a street in the trendy Apkujong district of Seoul today, lined with hundreds of aesthetic clinics catering to the masses of men and women wanting their faces remodeled and their bodies fixed. Among them are Japanese customers who had seen their handiwork on famous Korean starlets. Has the time come for the Korean plastic surgeon?

Seoul's shot in the arm

When Chae Lim appears in the drama series "All About Eve" across TV sets in Asia- more often than not, her fans are dwelling on her nose, which she has admitted to tampering with to give it more height.

Actresses Jung Ryeo Won and Kim Tae Hee have also come out to say that they had put their noses under the knife, while K-pop queen BoA has told her fans that she had surgery done on her eyelids and nose. The rise of pop culture in South Korea and its widespread acceptance across Asia in the last five years have made its celebrities the collective poster child for its plastic surgery skills.

Fans rave about the large eyes, small chins and high noses consistent with being a famous actress or singer there - which makes one wonder if Korean plastic surgeons are doing anything differently from their Tokyo counterparts. Experts say the key difference is that the Koreans are a lot more innovative when it comes to cosmetic surgery procedures.

They constantly experiment with creating new machines for cosmetic surgery and improving on old technology. For instance, the South Koreans have updated the Spectra laser, used in the 1950s to remove tattoos, and now use it to shrink enlarged facial pores.

When young South Korean women complained that their calves were too thick, Korean plastic surgeons developed special machines which use radiofrequency waves to shrink the calf muscle for a longer-term effect. South Korean doctors seem more "adventurous".

The Japanese, on the other hand, are more reserved when introducing new techniques, perhaps as a product of a medical authority acknowledged to be finicky and conservative. Take cosmetic products, for instance. Any new ingredients must be approved by the Japanese pharmaceutical watchdog before use. By contrast, the United States and France will give the green light as long as the compound is not on their "negative lists", according to the Japan External Trade Organization.

In any case, the Japanese have a different approach to aesthetics compared to the Koreans, They believe in more of a subtle tweaking of features to refine their Asian looks as opposed to the Korean quest for more noticeable results, like a distinctly higher nose and rounder eyes.

The Japanese are "more meticulous and gentle". Likening their methods to how they prune bonsai. The Japanese will expend long hours in surgery just ensuring that everything is as they want it, down to a fraction of a millimeter. Is this degree of precision that necessary? They certainly believe so.

Japanese aesthetic surgery used to be of a much higher standard, but the Koreans have advanced at a frenetic pace, and are at least on par with the Japanese.

If it's any indication of how much they lead the pack, local surgeons give them credit for certain techniques they pioneer and excel in. Take jaw line augmentation, that the Koreans have apparently turned into an art form, with many such procedures taking place in assembly-line fashion.

Local consultant plastic surgeon also chosen to use the latest made-in-Korea procedures to make the jaw smaller, it's a minimally-invasive technique that involves making an incision on the inside of the mouth to shave off the squarer corners of the lower jaw and reduce wide cheeks.

The technique is superior to more conventional ones because patients heal faster, reducing the downtime from four or more weeks to one to two weeks. Also, there are no external incisions involved, which means there are no scars externally, and the face tissues do not sag, which can occur with the conventional method of check reduction.

On breaking new ground

Much of South Korea's spirit of innovation towards plastic surgery stems from the sheer demand. After all, it's a country where nearly half of its population of 48 million are said to have had some form of work done - even toddlers are not spared, with some parents sending them for eyelid surgery before they enter school. This is to give them a headstart in life.

"The unemployment rate fluctuates in Korea and looking good minimizes your chances of getting fired."

The plastic surgery market there - with about 1,400 specialists in an industry that's worth $800 million - has become so congested that you can find a doctor at every stone's throw

And practice makes perfect with the healthy demand for plastic surgery there gives the South Koreans more opportunities to practice their skills, so they have an advantage at the moment.

And that's the reason why many Japanese patients, encouraged by the doctors' good reputation, find a further compelling reason to hop on a flight to Seoul: Cosmetic surgery in South Korea is said to be about 50 per cent cheaper than in Japan.

The stitch in time

However, even though the Koreans are more proactive in adopting new methods, they are not more technically superior to the Japanese. When it comes to endoscopic, or keyhole, surgery for facelifts and breast augmentation, nothing beats the equipment made by Japanese companies such as Olympus. There is no comparable Korean equivalent.

And the rate of innovation may be too quick for some surgeons' comfort.

Many surgeons believe that the Japanese still reign when it comes to surgical techniques.

Japanese people are very fastidious and precise. They are more traditional and conservative in their methods, like the Brazilians and Americans.

And because the Japanese focus on subtlety in change that there will always be a group faithful to their quiet philosophy.

Japan or Korea will you chose? Traditional methods against a more Adventurous spirit in delivering new techniques, machines and procedures.