In South Korea, a statement by a woman named Gil Lee-won has sparked widespread online debate. Appearing on the popular tvN STORY show "It's Okay to Be a Martian", she confessed that over the past 15 years she has spent about 300 million won (approximately $210,000) on altering her appearance, undergoing around 400 cosmetic procedures during this time. According to her, her very first procedure took place in 2010, and ever since, visits to surgeons and dermatologists have become an almost daily routine for her.
How it all began: mockery and criticism from loved ones
Gil Lee-won revealed that a combination of circumstances pushed her toward plastic surgery. While preparing for college entrance exams, she gained weight, after which people around her began mocking her appearance. An additional blow, she said, was criticism from a former partner: "My boyfriend, whom I dated from age 27 to 30, constantly criticized my appearance. It destroyed my self-confidence. I wanted to completely change myself," the broadcast quoted her as saying. She did not name the exact first procedure, but noted that this initial experience opened up the possibilities of cosmetic surgery for her and encouraged her to continue operations.
Full list of interventions
Among the procedures she underwent, the woman mentioned fat grafting to the forehead, reshaping the ears, creating double eyelids, eye correction, rhinoplasty, shortening the distance between the nose and upper lip, and reshaping her chin and facial contours. She also underwent the creation and removal of cheek dimples, lip filler injections and removals, filler injections in the shoulders and collarbone areas, neck wrinkle fillers, and botox injections into specific muscles. Gil separately mentioned needle procedures in the buttocks area, repeat surgeries to correct full-body liposuction results, intravenous stem cell therapy, and various skin care procedures.
How much it cost and how the procedures added up
"If you count all the cosmetic procedures and visits to the dermatologist, there were about 400 in total. Over time, they added up," the South Korean woman emphasized. The total amount spent on her appearance over 15 years reached about 300 million won, which she estimates is equivalent to roughly $210,000. Despite such substantial expenses, she stated that she does not intend to stop completely just yet.
Does she regret it and what's next?
Gil Lee-won emphasized that she does not regret the surgeries she has had: "Now I am satisfied with my appearance and feel confident." At the same time, she acknowledged that there are still aspects of her looks she would like to change, but she decided to follow the advice of a doctor from a liposuction clinic who recommended avoiding excessive changes and focusing on maintaining her current condition. Nevertheless, she says she visits dermatology and oriental medicine clinics almost daily to keep herself in good shape.
