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. 2021 Nov;48(6):660-669.
doi: 10.5999/aps.2020.02565. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

Experiences and attitudes toward aesthetic procedures in East Asia: a cross-sectional survey of five geographical regions

Soo-Ha Kwon  1 , William Wei-Kai Lao  1   2 , Che-Hsiung Lee  1 , Angela Ting-Wei Hsu  1 , Satomi Koide  3   4   5 , Hsing-Yu Chen  1   6   7 , Ki-Hyun Cho  8 , Eiko Tanaka  9 , Young-Woo Cheon  10 , Tommy Nai-Jen Chang  1
Affiliations

Experiences and attitudes toward aesthetic procedures in East Asia: a cross-sectional survey of five geographical regions

Soo-Ha Kwon et al. Arch Plast Surg. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The demand for aesthetic procedures continues to grow globally, particularly in East Asian countries. The popularity of specific aesthetic procedures varies, however, depending on the particular East Asian geographical region being studied. This study aimed to evaluate the experiences of and attitudes toward aesthetic procedures in five East Asian countries/regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Methods: To recruit participants, an online questionnaire was designed and distributed on social media networks between May 2015 and March 2016. The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 22.0.

Results: A total of 3,088 people responded (approximately 600 in each country/region). Of these, 940 participants (47.8%) responded that they had experienced at least one aesthetic procedure in the past. Taiwan had the highest number of participants who had experienced at least one procedure (264/940, 41%), with primarily non-surgical experiences. Only in South Korea did surgical cosmetic experiences exceed non-surgical cosmetic experiences (55.9% vs. 44.1%). The popularity of particular procedures and the motivation for undergoing aesthetic procedures varied by country.

Conclusions: The popularity of aesthetic procedures continues to evolve. Similar trends were observed across the East Asian regions; however, each country had its unique demands and preferences. The information provided by this study can help aesthetic plastic surgeons further understand the patients in their corresponding region, customize their practice, and develop the requisite skills.

Keywords: Cosmetic surgery; Esthetics; Surveys and questionnaires.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

Tommy Nai-Jen Chang is an editorial board member of the journal but was not involved in the peer reviewer selection, evaluation, or decision process of this article. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Distribution of participants by age.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Percentage of experienced aesthetic procedure participants per age group.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Medical institution preferences.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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