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| Graphic design by Cho Sang-won |
By Kim Jae-heun
Cosmetic surgery clinics' YouTube channels containing videos of patients talking about their experiences is causing controversy as they are being seen as sponsored events promoting the clinics without mentioning the possible side effects of plastic surgery.
There is no law to specifically govern such advertisements disguised as customer reviews.
Some of the videos have recorded over 2 million views and many others had an average of 100,000 views as of early July.
The hospitals cover the patients' operation fees in return for recording the surgical procedure.
One clinic posted a series featuring a female patient's experience from meeting a consultant there to recovering from the operation.
The episodes mostly show how thrilled the patient was about getting her surgery and how fast and safe the procedure was. The patient barely talks about the pain she endured.
By the end of the series, the patient says she did not know how easy and painless the operation was and highly recommends the audience to visit the hospital for cosmetic surgery.
According to medical laws, online commercials not mentioning the possible side effects of medical treatment or surgery, or exaggerating their positive effects are illegal. But plastic surgery clinics' YouTube channel content is in a grey area as it is ambiguous whether it is subject to regulations.
Park Ho-kyun of the law firm Hippocra that specializes in the Medical Law, says the clinic's YouTube content violates current laws by giving limited information on the surgery and emphasizing only the merits, thus preventing people from making an informed choice.
"The number of patients who can suffer serious side effects from the surgery may be low, but even if it is low, they will have to live with the outcome for life," Park told The Korea Times.
A plastic surgeon working at a clinic in Gangnam, southern Seoul, said not many doctors warn people about the side effects because they drive patients away.
"Doctors at plastic surgery clinics are employees, too. Patients are our customers and there is no reason for us to scare them off by informing them of every detail of possible side effects," the surgeon said requesting anonymity.
"Our consultant is there to relieve patients' concerns and fears when they make a visit to the hospital and most of them go back home with only the hope that they will be prettier or more handsome," the surgeon added.
According to a commission at the Korean Medical Association, which monitors medical advertisements separately from the government, a medical advertisement is subject to deliberation if it uses a medium that draws over 100,000 viewers per day for over three months on average.
However, it is difficult to track the exact numbers as there are too many advertisements promoted through different channels and platforms online.
Park said the Medical Law should be amended as times have changed and anybody can upload content from young schoolchildren to retired senior citizens.
"YouTube and other online contents can be found at anytime, anywhere. Moreover, we are living in an era where consumers are producing content to share their feedback. The Medical Law regarding hospitals' online advertisements should be revised," Park said.
