Double Jaw Surgery - The New Cosmetic Surgery Craze in South Korea

Jean Chung for the International Herald Tribune (PHOTO SOURCEl: www.nytimes.com)

South Korea remains to be the top consumer countries in cosmetic surgery, a new cosmetic craze made them live up to their reputation. Today, South Koreans are embracing a type of surgery which was only done for medical reasons to correct facial deformity. 

From double eyelid surgery and asian rhinoplasty, South Koreans are now going for more radical procedures that would require months of painful recovery, commonly known as double jaw surgery.

Double jaw surgery involves some bone cutting in order realign the upper and lower jaws. Due to the extent of the trauma created to the bone structure and to the face, it would take months to recover from this surgery. Adding to that, it also brings with it a number of risks such as facial numbness and paralysis.

But in South Korea, a lot of individuals are willing to overlook this risk because of the cosmetic benefit of this procedure. It is able to create a V-shaped chin which makes the jawline smaller. And in a country that is hell bent on beauty, having this type of feature marks feminine beauty along with a big eyes, double eyelids and a high-bridged nose.

The surgery is able to alter or improve the face dramatically compared to Botox or a nose job. But doctors are raising concerns over this complex surgery being undergone by patients who don’t have any real dental flaws.

The promotion of this procedure is plastered all over South Korea. This started when a Seoul dental clinic ran a major ad campaign which promoted the cosmetic benefits of double jaw surgery.

There are celebrities who are reportedly paid by doctors and underwent double-jaw surgery appeared on TV shows advertising the product. They claimed that it changed their career and personal life dramatically. Adding to that, ads and posters can be seen everywhere with taglines such as “Everyone but you has done it.”

This lead a Seoul lawmaker to propose a certain age limit for cosmetic surgery, particularly emphasizing on the dangers of “bone-related surgeries”.

It is true that complications related to cosmetic surgery are becoming more serious. A medical malpractice lawyer in Seoul in the person of Shin Hyon-Ho shared that he has seen cases where double jaw surgery resulted to chronic jaw pain, misaligned teeth, inability to chew or smile, and a skewed mouth.

But despite that, the procedure remains to increase in popularity. A recent study even estimates the annual figure to have reached 5,000 without specifying if it is for cosmetic or medical reasons.

Cosmetic surgeons are also offering the procedure resulting to a significant decrease in price making it affordable for the people. One doctor even said that it can’t be blamed if a lot of South Koreans want to get the procedure, especially when they live in culture where beauty, especially in women, is highly regarded.