Japanese people's idea of beauty is closely tied to facial features. That's according to a survey by the Japan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery that shows that 90 percent of about 237,000 cosmetic surgeries of common types performed in the country in 2017 were done on the face.
The number contrasts sharply with global data, which shows that only about 40 percent of cosmetic surgeries are performed on the face, while a majority are done to improve the shape of the body, including breast enlargement and fat removal.
The survey was the first of its kind conducted by the society and covered 3,656 medical institutions nationwide specializing in cosmetic surgery or cosmetic dermatology, or with such cosmetic departments. A total of 521 institutions responded.
The society believes the survey reflects about 80 percent of surgeries nationwide as most major cosmetic surgery specialists responded.
The survey reveals that the most frequently performed type of surgery is adding a fold to patients' eyelids, with about 120,000 surgeries of this type. Second is thread lifting, a facial rejuvenation procedure designed to elevate sagging skin using a special kind of thread, with about 26,000 operations of this type.
The number of surgical procedures carried out on the face alone amounted to about 217,000.
"The survey is very informative because it reveals a distinctive tendency among the Japanese," said Jichi Medical University Prof. Kotaro Yoshimura, who is an executive member of the society. "We'll conduct further analyses to promote the transparency of cosmetic medicine."
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