side effect experiences of south korean women in their twenties and thirties after facial plastic surgery

Young A Kim,1 Hyang-In Cho Chung2 1Department of Nursing, Jeju National University College of Nursing, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Nursing, Chonnam National University College of Nursing, Gwangju, Republic of Korea Background: Rates of plastic surgery procedures have increased dramatically over the past several decades, especially for the women in South Korea.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of South Korean women in their twenties and thirties with facial plastic surgery (FPS) side effects.Participants and methods: Seven women who have suffered from FPS side effects participated in this study. Data were collected from July to September 2015 through individual in-depth interviews using open-ended questions and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method, which is a Husserlian phenomenological approach.Results: Six themes, and 25 subthemes, were found. Major themes were “choosing FPS to gain a new self”, “facing an unintended self”, “trying to accept a changed self”, “making efforts to overcome the situation”, “coming to know a new world”, and “pursuing a new lifestyle”.Conclusion: This study raises social awareness on the risk of plastic surgery side effects, which could prevent unnecessary plastic surgery. It also suggests the need for a deeper understanding of women’s biopsychosocial suffering from plastic surgery side effects. Keywords: cosmetic surgery, aesthetic plastic surgery, qualitative research, interview