South Korea is one of the top medical tourism destinations for mainland Chinese tourists. Last year, 56,000 Chinese tourists visited for plastic surgery procedures, an increase of 45 per cent from 25,400 in 2013. According to industry insiders, the most popular requests for Chinese patients are double eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, fat grafts or transplants, facelifts and double jaw surgery to give a sharper chin. Often, these patients get all their surgeries done at once. “My mainland patients generally request the same surgeries as my Korean patients,” says Dr Cho Soo-young, a board-certified plastic surgeon and spokesperson for the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons. READ MORE: Beauty's dark side: Chinese tourists lured by South Korean cosmetic surgery face risks However Chinese and Korean patients want a different style of features. “Chinese patients want more westernised features, like bigger eyes, taller noses. They want to look like Barbie dolls. Korean patients want more natural, Asian features these days,” says Cho. “The Korean plastic surgery industry began [to develop] 40-50 years ago,” he says. “Plastic surgery started becoming popular in China only 10 years ago, so the trends for Chinese plastic surgery now are the same as in Korea about 50 years ago.” Plastic surgery agent Lyan Chang agrees that the Chinese standard of beauty is different. “Koreans want V-line faces and double jaw surgery [for smaller jaws], [whereas] Chinese clients want to look like Angelababy, with huge double eyelids and long eyelashes.” Angelababy is a Chinese model and actress. What Chinese and Korean patients do increasingly have in common is the rising rate of revision surgeries, as most procedures will require touchups after a period of time. Dr Choi Woo-shik, a board-certified plastic surgeon at MVP (Most Valuable Plastic Surgery) Clinic says his Chinese clientele are often going under the knife for the second or third time. “Many of our clients have already had surgery done in China by Chinese and visiting South Korean doctors.” Dr Cho advises prospective patients to conduct in-depth research before going to Korea. “It’s important that Chinese patients look for board-certified surgeons when looking to get plastic surgery here,” he adds. Mainland Chinese media also warn prospective patients against trusting “gold label” plastic surgeons, who advertise regularly on websites, as this is not an actual qualification. Cho adds that visitors should rely on personal recommendations rather than advertisements for clinics. Experts also advise prospective patients to ensure the clinic is properly equipped and have proper steps on refunds and medical insurance. Cho also believes that patients must also be realistic when it comes to plastic surgery results. "All surgeries can carry high risks. Many of them can result in major complications. But the biggest problem is that patients are not satisfied." They should wait six months for their plastic surgery results to stabilise, he says. “But if there is a problem, the doctor should go to China [to perform] or have the patient come back to do a revision surgery free of cost, says Cho.