韓國驚現"微笑手術",抵抗就業職場壓力

The need to smile all day at work is turning young South Koreans towards a surgical procedure that lifts the corners of their mouths.

韓國人希望工作時能夠整天面帶微笑，這一需求令年輕的韓國人求助於一種可以令嘴角上揚的手術。

Cosmetic surgeons in Seoul say they are seeing a sudden rise in demand for the so-called smile surgery this year among men and women in their 20s and 30s, most of whom are concerned about facing criticism at work because of their expressionless miens.

首爾的整形醫生說，今年二三十歲的男女對所謂的“微笑手術”的需求劇增，他們大部分人擔心自己會因爲工作時面無表情而受到批評。

'Even when you are looking like your normal self, people keep asking you: 'Why are you frowning?'' said Kwon Taek-keun, a plastic surgeon in practice for 20 years and known in professional circles as the first in the country to popularize the procedure. 'That's a lot of stress.'

擁有20年執業經驗的整形醫生權宅根(Kwon Taek-keun)說，就算你看起來與平時的自己沒有兩樣，人們也會不斷地問你：你爲什麼皺眉頭？這會帶來很大壓力。他在專業整容圈內是衆所周知的韓國第一個推廣整容的人。

The pictures and video clips that Dr. Kwon's clinic, Aone Plastic & Aesthetic Surgery, posted online have caused a controversy in recent days, attracting derision from some media reports and the blogosphere, and comparisons to the Joker character from the Batman series.

權宅根的診所Aone Plastic &Aesthetic Surgery在網上發佈的照片和視頻近幾天引發了爭論，遭到了一些媒體報道和博客圈的嘲諷，有人甚至將其比作“蝙蝠俠”系列影片中的“小丑”。

But the cosmetic surgeons who carry out the procedure argue people, young and old, come psychologically scarred by hurtful remarks about their naturally downturned lips, especially if they have customer-facing roles. Services-industry workers such as flight attendants and consultants frequent the clinics, according to the surgeons.

但給人做嘴角上揚手術的整形醫生稱，無論年輕人還是老年人，人們都會因別人對其天生下垂的嘴脣的傷人評論而在心理上留下傷疤，特別是如果他們從事與客戶打交道的工作時。據整形醫生說，空乘和顧問等服務業從業者常常光顧這類診所。

Known in the West as 'Valentine anguloplasty' after the heart shape of the removed muscle tissues at the lip's edge, the smile surgery was first developed as a part of an overall anti-aging face lift, Dr. Kwon and other surgeons say. Tightening the drooping face parts didn't restore the lips to the original upturned position, making an extra procedure necessary, they said.

權宅根和其他整形醫生說，“微笑手術”在西方被稱爲“瓦倫丁嘴角成形手術”，得名自手術中從嘴脣邊緣去除的心形肌肉組織，這種手術最初是作爲整體抗衰老面部拉皮手術的一部分。他們說，將下垂的面部組織變得緊緻的手術無法將嘴脣恢復到原來的上揚狀態，因此需要做額外的手術。

'It is going against gravity, ' said Dr. David Song of Golden View Plastic Surgery. He added that he observes the patient in different poses, such as in a seated position or while lying down, to get the most natural angle for the lips. 'We're restoring the original lip line.'

Golden View Plastic Surgery整形診所的醫生David Song說，這是在對抗重力的作用。他還說，他會觀察病人擺出各種姿勢，比如坐着或躺着，以便得到最自然的嘴角上揚角度。他說，我們是在修復本來的脣線。

Though South Koreans are some of the most avid users of plastic surgery in the world - the country has the world's highest number of cosmetic surgery procedures per capita, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons - the area around the mouth was relatively unexplored, the surgeons say.

儘管韓國人可以說是全球最熱衷於整容的，國際美容整形外科學會(International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons)的數據顯示，韓國人均整容手術數量在全球排第一，但整形醫生說，嘴巴周圍的區域相對來說尚未開發。

The age demographic of clients asking about the smile surgery became substantially younger, the surgeons say, after some celebrities' smiles began attracting public scrutiny earlier this year. Few have admitted to going under the knife for a perkier expressions.

整形醫生說，今年早些時候，一些名人的笑容開始吸引公衆的關注，之後諮詢“微笑手術”事宜顧客的年齡構成大大降低。幾乎沒有人公開承認爲了獲得更有魅力的笑容而不惜挨刀子。

But some clinics now publicize more than 15 different procedures for the lip and the mouth, including enlargement, reduction and gum exposure reduction. The most common procedure? The smile surgery, according to Dr. Cha Seung-youn at ZIEN Plastic Surgery.

但一些診所目前推出了15種以上的脣部和嘴部手術，包括放大、縮小和減小牙齦外露。最常見的手術是什麼？據ZIEN Plastic Surgery整形診所的醫生Cha Seung-youn說，是微笑手術。

'Your eyes and mouth make up the most of your facial expression, ' said Dr. Cha.

Cha Seung-youn說，眼睛和嘴巴佔了面部表情的大部分。

With a typical price tag of up to $2, 000, the 'natural' killer smile doesn't come cheap, and Dr. Song warns that consistent care will be needed over a three-to-six months of the recovery period.

要獲得“自然”而迷人的微笑，手術費通常得花2,000美元，價格可不便宜。此外，David Song警告說，在三到六個月的恢復期中，需要持續不斷的護理。