Medical disputes over plastic surgery on rise

Claire Lee

The Korea Herald

Publication Date : 02-10-2014

More patients in South Korea are filing medical disputes after receiving cosmetic surgery or other aesthetic treatments at local clinics, raising concerns about the industrys safety standards and false advertising.

Last week, a woman in her 50s died of dyspnea while receiving liposuction at a clinic in Seouls affluent district of Gangnam.

While the womans case is extreme, an increasing number of Koreans are seeking help for disappointing results and side effects of cosmetic procedures, according to a report submitted to lawmaker Nam Yoon In-soons office by the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency.

Some of the major factors behind this situation is the lack of government safety regulations on plastic surgery patients and the flourishing advertisements that do not properly inform patients of possible side effects, said lawmaker Nam Yoon in a statement.

The number of Koreans who consulted the mediation agency after receiving plastic surgery or treatments rose by 64.6 per cent from 2012 to 2013, according to the report.

In 2012, 444 individuals visited the agency to receive consultations on disappointing surgical results and side effects. That number rose to 731 in 2013. The agency also received a total of 530 consultation requests from January to July this year.

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Medical disputes over plastic surgery on rise