“Doctor, you are a patriot!”
This is what the translator who interpreted for a Chinese patient that I recently performed surgery on said to me. The Chinese patient I operated on was a Chinese person who knew the translator beforehand. This Chinese person was concerned about a protruding mouth but received surgery to correct this protrusion after consulting with me. Surgery to correct protrusions usually involves extracting teeth that are extracted for dental correction, eliminating the gum bone corresponding to the location of the teeth, then pushing the protruding front teeth and gum bone backward and fixating in place. The official name for this surgery is anterior segmental osteotomy, commonly called protruding mouth surgery. This surgery must be performed very precisely and has three-dimensional spatial complexities, making it a difficult operation among facial bone surgeries. Not a lot of hospitals perform this operation due to the highly difficult nature.
A person’s mouth makes up a very high proportion of his/her impression. When the mouth sticks out, it is labeled as protruding, and I think protrusion is often associated with an angry and/or unsophisticated impression. Correcting the protrusion softens the impression and gives a sophisticated image. The biggest cause of such protrusion is development of the gum bone, which pushes it forward. Accordingly, the most effective way to correct protrusion is to push the gum bone itself back, and the most efficient way to do this is through protruding mouth surgery.
The Chinese person who recently had protruding surgery was extremely worrisome and demanding but ended up trusting me after consultation and surgery. He also considers Korea a country that is very advanced in medical practice (especially in areas related to plastic surgery), capable of performing protruding mouth surgery which involves a high level of difficulty. His surgery gave him such a better image of Korea that his translator called me a ‘patriot.’ It made me very proud to think that I was contributing to raising the image of Korea. We are also contributing to the national economy by earning foreign currency through surgery amidst a weak economy.
Over the past few years, the Korean Wave has swept through Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, which has spread beyond across the world. The Korean Wave started with dramas and actors, K-pop and singers, as well as various entertainment programs. Plastic surgery in Korea, including myself, also contributed to this Korean Wave. The Korean Wave in plastic surgery started in China and Japan in Northeast Asia, and has spread to Thailand, Vietnam in Southeast Asia, as well as the Middle East.
The Winter Olympics is being held in Pyeongchang. The Olympics is the best event wherein athletes from all over the world compete fairly in sports on behalf of their respective countries.
When I operate on foreigners, I also think that I’m representing Korea. In my mind, I work hoping the surgery I perform will raise the status of Korea. I would think this is similar to how the national team feels when striving on behalf of the country.
The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has started but the atmosphere doesn't seem to be very thrilled yet. More interest in the Olympics is necessary. I hope that this Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will serve as an opportunity for Korea to take another step forward, just as the 1988 Seoul Olympics did. I wish our national team good luck at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Image source: Google
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