In recent years, China's medical tourism has risen rapidly by virtue of the core advantage of “cost-effective + natural effect”, and has gradually formed a differentiated competitiveness in the competition with South Korea and other traditional plastic surgery powerhouses. Behind this phenomenon, not only reflects the evolution of global consumer demand for medical aesthetics, but also reflects the upgrading of China's medical aesthetics industry and the release of localized advantages. The following is an analysis of the traditional advantages of Korean plastic surgery, the logic of the rise of China's medical tourism and the core attraction of “cost-effective + natural results” three dimensions.
the traditional advantages of Korean plastic surgery: branding, standardization and industry chain maturity
South Korea's plastic surgery industry after more than 30 years of development, has formed a globally recognized “medical tourism” model, its core competitiveness lies:
1. Brand premium and cultural output: South Korea has promoted “Korean aesthetics” (such as delicate features, soft contour, natural makeup) to the world through the film and television and entertainment industries, shaping the consumer perception of “beauty transformation = Korean wave”. Medical aesthetic clusters such as Gangnam District in Seoul and Daegu have become the “mecca of beauty transformation” for international tourists.
2. Standardized services and processes: From pre-operative consultation (AI facial analysis, 3D simulation), intra-operative anesthesia monitoring to post-operative recovery (hotel-style care, regular visits), Korean medical aesthetic institutions have formed a set of mature and standardized processes to reduce consumer decision-making costs.
3. Doctor technology and aesthetic consensus: Korean plastic surgeons generally accept strict academic training (6 years of medical school + 2 years of specialized training), and the industry has formed a high degree of consensus on the “Netflix aesthetic” (such as big eyes, high nose, sharp chin), surgical results are more likely to be accepted by the international market.
However, in recent years, the limitations of Korean plastic surgery have gradually emerged: high price and service homogenization. Restricted by the size of the country and the size of the customer base, South Korea's head institutions service capacity is limited, non-head institutions rely on marketing and packaging to push up the price; at the same time, the “uniform” aesthetic template has led to some consumers fall into the “plastic surgery anxiety”, but the pursuit of more personalized The effect is more personalized.
the rise of China's medical tourism: from “catching up” to “differentiated competitors”.
China's medical aesthetic market has been the second largest in the world for many years (about 300 billion yuan in 2023), and medical tourism is growing rapidly based on local demand and the influx of international customers. The core logic of its rise lies in the double breakthrough of “cost-effective” and “natural effect”, which is specifically manifested as follows:
(A) cost-effective: cost advantage and the localization of the closed loop of services
1. Significant price advantage: domestic plastic surgery costs are generally 1/3-1/2 of those in South Korea (e.g., double eyelid surgery, domestic public third-class or formal institutions about 8,000-15,000 yuan, South Korea about 20,000-40,000 yuan for the same type of surgery). This difference stems from manpower costs (Korean doctors' salaries are about 3-5 times higher than those in China), site rents (rents for medical and aesthetic institutions in the core area of Seoul are much higher than those in first-tier cities in China) and marketing costs (Korea relies on international advertising, while domestic institutions focus more on local accurate customer acquisition).
2. Facilitation of the whole chain of services: Domestic medical aesthetic institutions can provide one-stop services of “consultation-surgery-recovery-tourism” without additional costs such as cross-border visas, language interpreters (with no barriers to communication in Chinese), and long-distance trekking. For example, Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Zone in Hainan relies on the policy of “medical + tourism” to attract tourists from Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, realizing the efficient experience of “surgery in the morning and duty-free shopping in the afternoon”.
3. Synchronization of technology and equipment: China's medical aesthetic institutions follow the global technological trends, and some areas (such as submerged thread lifting, photoelectric anti-aging, digital dental implants) are even ahead of South Korea. For example, large domestic institutions generally introduce 3D printing, AI face-to-face diagnosis, robot-assisted surgery and other technologies, and South Korea to maintain a technological generation gap close to zero.
(B) Natural effect: aesthetic upgrade from “standardization” to “personalization”
The demand of Chinese medical aesthetic consumers has shifted from “imitating celebrities/netizens” to “highlighting personal characteristics”, which has pushed organizations to shift from “assembly line operation” to “customized design”. Customized design", specifically manifested in. 1:
1. Localization of aesthetic concepts: domestic doctors are better at designing programs that combine Asian facial features (such as bone phase, skin phase, and proportion of the five senses), avoiding “over-Europeanization” (e.g., high brow bones and deep eye sockets may lead to an imbalance in the sense of facial three-dimensionality). For example, for the “inner double” and “swollen eyes” that are common in Asians, the doctor will give priority to the “open-flap double eyelids” instead of the “parallel type”. The doctor will prefer the “open-flap type” to the “parallel type”, which is more in line with the original facial features.
2. The rise of light medical aesthetics and natural style: Consumers' demand for “no-trace plastic surgery” and “mom-and-pop effect” has surged, pushing organizations to focus on light medical aesthetics projects such as injectable fillers and minimally invasive surgery. For example, the domestic hyaluronic acid filler more emphasis on “dynamic natural” (such as apple muscle filler to retain the natural curvature of the smile), rather than simply the pursuit of ‘fullness’; nasal surgery is popular "rib cartilage + ear cartilage joint shaping Rib cartilage + ear cartilage combined shaping" is popular in nose surgery, avoiding the hardness of prosthesis.
3. Refinement of doctor's technology: the head of the domestic team of doctors generally have more than 10 years of clinical experience, and in niche areas (such as oculorhinoplasty, facial contour) to form a differentiated label. For example, some doctors focus on “eye repair” (for multiple plastic surgery failure cases), through autologous fat transplantation, muscle adjustment and other techniques to restore the natural eye shape, the technical reputation even more than some Korean doctors.
“cost-effective + natural effect” has become the essence of the new favorite: the resonance of demand iteration and industrial upgrading
The rise of China's medical tourism is essentially a two-way match between the upgrading of global consumer demand for medical aesthetics and the transformation of China's medical aesthetics industry:
- Demand side: The new generation of consumers (Generation Z and the new middle class) is more rational, no longer blindly pursuing “international brands”, but focusing on “authenticity of results”, “service experience” and “cost”. Instead of blindly pursuing “international brands”, they focus on “authenticity of effect”, “service experience” and “reasonableness of cost”. They are willing to pay a reasonable fee for natural results that are not recognized as plastic surgery, rather than paying for brand premiums.
- Supply side: China's medical aesthetic industry has entered the stage of “compliance + specialization” after a period of barbaric growth. Regulators have eliminated low-quality organizations through policies such as “medical aesthetic organization ratings” and “doctor qualification certification”, while leading organizations have built up their reputation through technological R&D and service innovation, pushing the industry from “traffic competition” to “value competition”. The industry has shifted from “traffic competition” to “value competition”.
Conclusion
The “brand aura” of Korean plastic surgery is being dissolved by the “cost-effective + natural effect” of China's medical aesthetic industry. With localized aesthetic understanding, mature technology reserves and cost advantages, China is becoming the new choice for global medical aesthetic consumers. In the future, with the policy support (such as Hainan Medical Tourism Pioneer Zone) and internationalization (to attract Southeast Asia, the Middle East customer base), China's medical tourism is expected to further consolidate the core competitiveness of “cost-effective + natural results”, from ‘followers’ to “leaders”. From “follower” to “leader”.