Risky double-jaw surgery South Korea's latest cosmetic fad
A nation's love affair with plastic surgery now embraces a dangerous procedure, once used by dentists to correct congenital deformities
South Korea's obsession with plastic surgery is moving on from standard eye and nose jobs to embrace a radical surgical procedure that requires months of often painful recovery.
A stream of celebrities boast on TV shows how it gave them a "new life", while advertisements extolling its cosmetic benefits are everywhere from street billboards to subway stations, magazines and popular internet sites.
But there's nothing really "cosmetic" about double-jaw surgery. A radical solution to congenital facial deformities or for people unable to chew properly due to excessive over- or underbite, the operation involves realigning the upper and lower jaws. One result of the bone-cutting procedure is often a slimmer jawline - and that is what caught the attention of South Korea's booming beauty industry.
A small face with a "V-shaped" chin and jawline is considered a mark of feminine beauty in much of East Asia, along with a high-bridged nose and big eyes.
"This surgery alters your look far more dramatically than, say, Botox or a nose job because it changes your entire facial bone structure," said Choi Jin-Young, a professor of dentistry at Seoul National University.