[richardsng_era]

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_332909.html


Ms Elaine Teo, 34, works for a clinic offering plastic surgery in Korea and makes regular trips there with clients seeking surgery. Here, she is looking at a photograph of herself before nose and eyelid surgery done in 2007.




Feb 1, 2009
$350 for a nose job

Places like Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan offer plastic surgery at a fraction of the cost here but Singapore doctors advise caution

By Debbie Yong

IT LOOKS like a pretty good offer.


A new nose for only $350. Double eyelid surgery at just a little over $250.

These are the prices for plastic surgery done in a clinic in Hat Yai, Thailand.

Compare these to the cost of cosmetic surgical fixes in Singapore, which is at least 10 times more. Nose surgery, for example, costs from $4,000 while prices for double eyelid surgery start from $2,500.

It is little wonder then that more Singaporeans are checking out lower-cost places like Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan.

'Getting it done here is way beyond my budget,' said a recent university graduate, who gave her name only as Jane as she does not want others to know about her operation.

The 23-year-old, who now works in the finance industry, paid about $350 for a silicone nose implant at Dr Nara Clinic in Hat Yai last May.

She had heard about affordable surgeons in Bangkok but decided on engaging Thai doctor Nara Donsakul after reading referrals from other Singaporeans on Internet forums.

But Jane said that she was shocked when she first saw the clinic, and that it was 'a scary experience'.

The clinic occupied the first floor of a shophouse 'like those in Joo Chiat'. The consultation room was a small office in the front while the operating theatre was a slightly larger room at the back. The clinic had five nurses.

'They put me under general anaesthesia, but they also tied my hands to the operating table with rope in case I woke up halfway. That was really bizarre,' she recounted.

She has since recovered without any complications.

She estimates that she spent $300 on airfare, which comprised a budget airline flight to Bangkok and a domestic transfer to Hat Yai. The entire two-week trip cost her $2,000.

With more people sniffing out such budget cosmetic revamps, at least one travel agent here is planning to cash in.

CTC Holidays spokesman Alicia Seah said it plans to launch medical tourism packages to South Korea, Thailand and India in two to three months.

It is negotiating with clinics and plans to tie up with medical academies to train about five 'medical butlers' to serve customers.

'We're forecasting a demand for simple aesthetic treatments in South Korea such as double eyelid surgery and nose reshaping. It is cheaper and well known for its expertise in this field,' she said.

Prices for double eyelid surgery in South Korea start from about $1,800, while nose restructuring costs from $3,800.

Despite a worldwide slowdown in travel, CTC said it had a 5 to 10 per cent increase in bookings for its spa- and beauty-centric packages to South Korea last year.

One man benefiting from the demand is Dr Kim Byung Gun of Seoul's popular BK Dongyang Plastic Surgery Clinic. He said his clinic runs its own pick-up service from Seoul airport and provides Chinese and English translators for patients.

Of the 60 foreigners he sees monthly, about a third are Singaporeans. Most are students or office women in their 20s and 30s.

But despite the possibility of more organised cosmetic surgery tours soon, doctors here call for caution.

Cases of infection due to botched jobs done overseas are common, they said. More serious cases have resulted in scars and cut facial nerves, which are irreversible.

Dr Andrew Tay of The Plastic Surgery Practice in Novena Medical Centre said it is fine to do plastic surgery overseas but advised those considering it to do background checks on the doctors' credentials.

One should also visit the medical facilities and factor in the need to go abroad again for complications to be dealt with, he said.
The limited time of an overseas vacation may also prompt some to act on impulse. Dr Tay said: 'The big advantage about doing it in your hometown is that you have the liberty to think about it over and over again, and come back and ask more questions until you're ready.'

[princess-selina]

It's good to appreciate how you look like , for that's what god gives us .

but SG is really overpriced the cosmetics surgery .