Big rush to get face work done

SEOUL When Ryu Han- na, a 20- year- old university student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid- December, she had a simple reason: it might be the last chance to do so covertly before people start taking off masks this year as vaccines are distributed.

Ryu said the ability to recuperate at home and wear a mask in public without drawing attention were deciding factors.

“I always wanted to get a nose job ... I thought it would be the best to get it now before people start taking off masks when vaccines become available in 2021,” she said as she prepared for the $ 5,200 procedure.

That attitude is fuelling demand for such operations in South Korea, which had already experienced a pickup in cosmetic surgery in 2020.

Surgeons say patients are interested in all parts of the face: those that can be easily hidden under masks, such as the nose and lips, as well as those that face coverings don’t conceal, which some consider the criteria of beauty in the coronavirus era.