Taiwan's beauty businesses are thriving as people's
disposable income rises and new options allow for an
easy change of appearance.
As 25-year-old graduate student Chen Chih-wei sits in the waiting room of a hospital beauty center, he lays out some hard facts about why appearances matter. "We men are visual animals. While hunting for a date, of course we go for the pretty ones," he says with a good deal of honesty. "And I believe that good-looking people have more opportunities in many aspects of life."
Indeed, it seems to be a common belief that attractive people get ahead in all sorts of ways--in dating, in the workplace and perhaps most of all in building self-confidence. "If you've got money to spend, and the operation is safe, why not make improvements?" Chen says.
With the high levels of consumer spending in Taiwan, more and more Taiwanese are doing just that--seeking improvements in their appearance through cosmetic surgery and other beauty treatments. All sorts of people are going in for the treatment, including Chen himself. He and his mother both decided to have freckles and moles removed through laser treatment. "I intend to have a facelift in a few years when my skin condition deteriorates," his mother adds.
To meet the growing demand for man-made beauty and anti-aging remedies, providers of beauty services are quickly springing up. Along Taipei's expensive Chunghsiao East Road and in the neighboring Hsinyi commercial district alone, some 40 beauty centers are in operation.
Spring Clinic, for example, set up state-of-the-art facilities imported from Japan in its 9,000-square-foot clinic, which includes an operating room that eliminates dust and static electricity. The clinic strives for an atmosphere that puts nervous customers at ease. It has beds to sprawl out on and facilities to wash up and put on make-up after a procedure.
According to Wang Kuan-chung, superintendent of Spring Clinic, the most popular service is the so-called lunchtime cosmetology, which offers a short treatment time and quick recovery and allows clients to go back to work in the afternoon. "Most of our clients prefer nonsurgical treatments, such as Botox injections or face peels and other treatments to eliminate wrinkles and give the skin a fresher, healthier look," he says.
In terms of clientele, Wang has seen everyone from the old to the young. He once treated a 102-year-old woman, getting rid of age spots on her face. By and large, women in general, and financially independent office ladies in particular, account for most of the business.
The range of services offered by the clinic reflects the concerns of its clientele. Combating the ravages of time through skincare and anti-aging treatments is only part of the story. The clinic also helps clients reshape their natural appearance through surgical procedures. The sources of dissatisfaction seem to be principally the nose and the eyes. Wang says that eyelid-related procedures account for approximately 50 percent of the total business and rhinoplasty makes up about 20 percent.
The eyelid surgery adds a crease to the eyelid, giving the eyes a larger, more Western look, and rhinoplasty often shoots for a higher nose. These trends are the result of the permeating Western standards of beauty. Although Western looks are still a factor in the local concept of beauty, a more "Asian" appearance is increasingly popular. "A decade ago, subject to the profound influence of Westernization, many people wanted to have a prominent nose, wide double eyelids and higher eyebrows," Wang says. "But now people appreciate Oriental beauty, and they want the result to be as natural as possible."
New sources of glamour are influencing people's concept of beauty. The craze for Korean soap operas and movies, and their heartthrob stars, for example, has resulted in an increase in facial reconstruction that makes the face smaller and thinner and slightly more "Korean looking."
Despite the greater diversity of aesthetic models, one common aspiration that remains unchanged over time is staying slim. "Slenderness is beauty--that's still what most people think," says Wang. "It applies all the way from face, to the arms, to the waist and down to the calves." Perhaps the only area where smaller is not considered better is the chest, and breast augmentation procedures currently number about 5,000 per year in Taiwan.
Beauty at a Bargain
The growing professionalism of Taiwan's cosmetic-surgery centers combined with the relative price advantages could be a recipe for a booming industry. On average, cosmetic surgery in Taiwan is about 20 percent cheaper than in South Korea and 60 to 70 percent cheaper than in Japan and the United States.
Chen Tien-mu, secretary-general of the Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (TSAPS), points out that eyelid surgery, for instance, costs about NT$20,000 (US$600) in Taiwan, compared with US$1,500 to $2,000 in the United States. "In addition to lower prices, Taiwan's surgical techniques are competitive with those of South Korea, the United States and Europe," he says. "Moreover, the density of hospitals and clinics in Taiwan offers greater accessibility and convenience."
Chen believes cosmetic surgery is on the upswing. During the early days, clients were limited to entertainers and women of the night, but nowadays plastic surgery is popular among people of different age groups and professions. He says that the practice is so common now that people are much less inhibited about it. "In the past, people who had plastic surgery would hide themselves away for a while and keep it to themselves. But now many of them are very open about it," he says. "People have started to think of it as a form of self-improvement, rather than an act of vanity."
Improvements in surgical procedures have also made plastic surgery far less intimidating. Chen believes that endoscopy--operations that use only a tiny instrument to enter the body--is poised to play an increasingly important role in the application of cosmetic surgery in the near future. "Most patients are still afraid of undergoing an operation and its related risks," he says. "Endoscopic surgery involves only a minor invasion into the body and therefore recovery is quick."
Because of the potential profits of plastic surgery, those rather old-fashioned centers of surgical skill, hospitals, have jumped on the bandwagon and started offering cosmetic treatments.
Almost all major hospitals and medical centers in Taiwan now have departments dedicated to these non-life-or-death surgeries, and many young doctors are choosing the field as a respectable career in medicine and a good way to make a name as a doctor. Resident doctors who have six years of work experience can undergo the examination and licensing process to become a plastic surgeon.
In 1994, Chen and other medical practitioners founded the TSAPS, a professional organization that hopes to increase the quality of plastic surgery in Taiwan, establish professional standards and share information. After three years of work experience, doctors licensed to practice plastic surgery can present their credentials to the society and apply for membership. To date, the group has accepted 164 members and holds seminars regularly to address beauty issues. "Overall, I'm pretty confident in the technical prowess of Taiwan's cosmetic surgeons," says Chen. "They should be considered a source of pride for the country."
Hospital Makeovers
For hospitals, the jump from reconstructive surgery to cosmetic surgery is a short one. Performing reconstructive surgery for accident victims and correcting cleft palates have long been routine in hospitals. Organizations like the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation, named for Samuel Noordhoff, a long-time resident of Taiwan and a pioneer of cleft lip and palate surgery, have provided funding for reconstructive surgery since its founding in 1990. Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, which works closely with the Noordhoff Foundation, is now listed as one of the world's top medical training centers for plastic surgery. It set up an aesthetic beauty center as early as in 1985.
"With our solid foundation in plastic surgery, we are capable of doing a good job on cosmetic surgery," says Chang Cheng-jen, division chief of General Plastic Surgery at Chang Gung. "Around 20 years ago, we'd already sensed the demand, and we established the first laser center on the island."
Hospitals, moreover, have some distinct advantages over clinics. Large medical teams can attend patients, and hospitals can often afford expensive equipment that is generally beyond the reach of small private clinics. "Because of financial constraints, most practitioners who run their own clinics cannot afford to purchase expensive equipment. Oftentimes, they can just buy a single device that is used to cope with various needs," he says. "Their manpower is also limited, which makes handling complications difficult."
The breadth of skills offered at a hospital and the resources available to the doctors help hospitals compete in the battle for clients. After all, Chang says, as a medical center, his hospital cannot launch commercial ads to promote its beauty services nor can it adopt a flexible pricing strategy amid the intense market competition.
Even with these limitations, Chang Gung is flourishing. In January, the hospital added to its aesthetic surgical centers in Taipei City and Taipei County, a third center, The Medical Cosmetology Vascular Center. The new site offers plastic surgery, dermatology, skincare and traditional Chinese medical treatments. The center also collaborates with nearby universities on biotechnology re search to look for applications for cosmetic surgery and other beauty treatments.
The new center ranges over 18,000 square feet and houses modern medical equipment, as well as spa areas, lodgings and a gym. Chang believes that the center's location makes it more idyllic than rivals clustered in the metropolises. He says that it is private and offers beautiful views.
The success of Chang Gung's plastic surgery services and the growing demand for beauty treatments is leading other hospitals in the same direction. The Taiwan Adventist Hospital, for example, opened its Restorative Beauty Center last September. "The beauty center is currently the most important unit in our hospital," says Liu Ming-wei, chief of plastic surgery at Taiwan Adventist, "not only because the market is taking off, but also because we need a business model that allows us to sustain our other operations."
According to Liu, the floating payments of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) has put additional financial pressure on many medical centers in Taiwan. To compensate, hospitals have been developing services that require direct payment by the patients for generally nonessential treatments like cosmetic surgery. "On the one hand, we want to serve the clients who ask for cosmetology," he says. "On the other hand, we want to use the revenues that we rake in from this service to serve our NHIP patients."
Travel and a Tuck
Liu believes that Taiwan has a good chance of drumming up even more capital for the hospital by appealing to foreign clients. "Compared with neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea, our cosmetic surgery is pretty competitive, both in terms of cost and techniques," he says.
Chen Tien-mu of the TSAPS thinks Taiwanese medical practices have a natural client base in China, where cosmetic surgery and beauty treatments are in high demand, but techniques are not always up to snuff. Once direct transportation links are established and more Chinese are allowed to travel here, Taiwan's beauty industry will receive a shot in the arm, he says.
Chang Cheng-jen points out that Chang Gung's new Medical Cosmetology Vascular Center is located just 40 minutes away from the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taoyuan, making it a convenient stop for foreign clients. Spring Clinic has already begun to package its beauty business with recreation by teaming up with its business affiliate Spring City Resort, a popular hot springs hotel.
With the cooperation of the Hong Kong-based travel agency International Holiway, Spring Clinic and Spring City Resort have introduced different three-day, two-night packages that include Botox and Perlane injections, accommodation, hot springs bathing and transportation. The tour packages are priced between NT$21,999 (US$657) and $45,399 ($1,355) per person. The travel agency estimates that the package will bring in at least 1,000 visitors a year from Hong Kong and Macau.
Soon, beauty-seeking tourists might find the satisfaction of people like 38-year-old Lin Pei-chen, who got a boost in confidence from cosmetic eyelid surgery. "I was recently divorced, and I decided to love myself more and do what I like," she says. "I just wanted to change myself a bit and start a new life."