South Korean plastic surgeons are among the best in the world. In fact they’re so good that people from other countries like China and Japan are actually having trouble getting back home.

韩国整容手术的技术可谓世界一流，以至于一些来自中国或日本的整容者在结束手术后回国总会遇到一些麻烦。

That sounds really crazy, but it’s true. When most people get a nose job or a lip job, they just look like ‘enhanced’ versions of themselves. But people returning from a plastic surgery vacation in South Korea are truly transformed. You’d have to look very closely at the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs, and even then, it’s hard to make a connection. So I suppose you couldn’t really blame airport officials for stopping these tourists from returning home.

这听起来很疯狂，但却是事实。一些人做了隆鼻或丰唇手术后，整个脸看起来都更立体了。但在韩国整形以后绝对是大变身。即使你仔细观察整容前后的对比照片，也很难发现这竟然是同一个人。所以我想你也不会责怪机场的工作人员把她们拦下来了吧。

Thankfully, Korean hospitals have found a way to work around the issue. They are now handing out ‘plastic surgery certificates’ on request to overseas patients. These certificates include the patient’s passport number, the duration of stay, the name and location of the hospital and the hospital’s official seal. Travelers can use the certificate to help convince immigration officials on the return trip home.

幸好韩国整形医院找到了解决办法。他们会给海外整形者发放“整形手术证明”。这个证明包括了整形者护照的编号、在韩国停留的时间、医院的名称和地址以及医院的印章。患者在回国的时候可以用这张证明说服那些机场官员。

In a bizarre² incident, a total of 23 women were recently held back at Chinese immigration. They were between the ages of 36 and 54, and had bigger eyes, higher noses and slimmer chins than depicted³ on their passports. “After they took off their huge hats and big sunglasses following our request, we saw them looking different, with bandages and stiches here and there,” said Chen Tao, a Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Officer. “We had to compare their uncorrected parts with their photos very carefully.”

最近发生了件奇事，由23名中国女性组成的整形旅行团回到了中国。她们的年龄都在36岁至54岁之间，本人和护照上的照片相比，眼睛更大，鼻梁更高，下巴更尖。 上海虹桥机场的海关人员陈涛说：“她们应要求拿掉帽子和眼镜之后，我发现她们和护照上完全不一样了，脸上缠着绷带或是充满针眼。我们必须十分仔细地对比她们脸上没有做过手术的地方。”

In 2011, about 2,500 medical tourists visited South Korea. The number increased ten-fold last year, to a whopping 25,176 visitors. Interestingly, a majority of these tourists are from China. While the Chinese are gaining in prosperity, they don’t seem to trust their doctors anymore. According to plastic surgeon Park Byong-choon, “Chinese parents come to Korea even for childbirth. The death of a young singer under a Chinese cosmetic⁴ surgeon’s knife a few years ago makes people think twice about doing it at home.”

2011年，总共有2500人到韩国进行整形手术。去年这个数字翻了十翻，达到25,176人。有趣的是，这些人大多数来自中国。虽然中国越来越繁荣，但人们对医生似乎没那么信任了。一位韩国整形医师说：“中国父母甚至去韩国生孩子。几年前一位中国年轻歌手在一位国内整形师的手术刀下丧命，这件事让中国人在选择国内整形机构时变得格外慎重。”