Japan is currently in the middle of it’s “Golden Week”, a short period of time filled with many national holidays. Many Japanese have taken off the intervening days and used their time to head to South Korea for a little cosmetic surgery. The long holiday allows the swelling caused by cosmetic surgery to fade, allowing the Japanese patients’ faces to return more or less to normal before they return back to work.

Seoul in South Korea is a popular destination because prices are about half what they are in Japan, and even with travelling costs added in, it makes financial sense for the cosmetic procedures to be done ovabroad. Many clinics in South Korea have seen a huge influx in Japanese clients during Golden Week, with many treating up to 75% more Japanese clients than normal.

The most popular treatments are double-eyelid surgery and nose jobs, along with face-lifts and skin-whitening. The Korea Tourism Organisation has said that it expects more than 76,000 Japanese tourists (both those booked in for cosmetic surgery, and those just on holiday) to visit Korea this week.