If there’s one factor the algorithm of my TikTok will get appropriate each single time, it’s skin care. Whether or not it’s new products or procedures, I’m going to stay round and see what it’s. So clearly, after I began getting served movies about skincare tourism, I used to be all in. Combining my love of skin care with my other love of travel? Say much less, I’m there for the whole video.
I had heard of medical tourism earlier than — particularly, horror tales of individuals getting botched liposuction or breast augmentation — in addition to perhaps getting a facial at a spa throughout trip? However what I used to be seeing was girls heading to Mexico, Turkey, Korea, and past for skincare remedies with downright spectacular outcomes.
For Sophia Sparks, who handled herself to aesthetic remedies in Turkey to have a good time her fortieth birthday, taking the plunge on skincare tourism got here after considerate consideration.
“I’ve struggled with persistent pores and skin points for many of my grownup life and spent some huge cash engaged on enchancment and seeing little distinction,” the Los Angeles primarily based founding father of GlowDecoded, tells Scary Mommy, including that she has tried a variety of remedies within the U.S., together with lasers, peels and regimens at med spas in addition to working with board-certified dermatologists.
Sparks says she started trying internationally after realizing that many clinics overseas supply comparable procedures, in addition to extra progressive know-how, with extra personalised care fashions, shorter wait occasions, and extremely aggressive pricing relative to the U.S. market.
“I wished to attenuate downtown and maximize my time having fun with the journey, so I scheduled non-surgical pores and skin procedures to handle ageing and pores and skin laxity,” she explains.
Whereas in Turkey, Sparks had Platelet-Wealthy Plasma (PRP) Pores and skin Rejuvenation, Lumecca (an intense pulsed mild remedy), BroadBand Mild Photorejuvenation (BBL), Ultherapy (a skin-lifting therapy), Botox injections, and skin-brightening IV drips.
Sparks was “astounded” by the worth distinction relative to the U.S. market, noting she paid $1,200 for all of her procedures in Turkey, which might simply set her again $10,000 or extra at house within the U.S.
However she says that affordability wasn’t the one draw.
“The physicians have been top-notch, the standard of care was personalised, and downtime was minimal. What would have taken a number of visits over a number of days was completed with absolute effectivity inside a number of hours over the course of some days. In any case my remedies, they put sunscreen on me, served tea and pastries, and I used to be good to go to take pleasure in my days,” she says. “The clinic adopted up after every session to make sure I used to be comfy and therapeutic correctly earlier than my flight house. It was a five-star expertise.”
Sparks isn’t an outlier. Statistics from the Korean Ministry of Health confirmed that just about 1.2 million individuals from 202 international locations visited in 2024 for aesthetic causes.
Sara Yoon, a mother of two primarily based in Seoul, tells Scary Mommy that she thinks skincare tourism in Korea is booming as international curiosity within the nation has grown over time.
“Fifteen years in the past after I final lived in Korea, there have been by no means this many vacationers,” Yoon says. “Additionally, I feel an enormous issue is social media. It appears everyone seems to be on TikTok or Instagram as of late, and I feel that is the place lots of people are studying about what’s accessible in Korea.”
Yoon’s total social media presence, aptly sloganed “Your Korean Glow Up Information,” shares what you possibly can have completed in Korea — and the place to go to do it.
“I’ve met individuals and have had individuals inform me that they got here to Korea after watching my movies, and my first thought is… ‘That is loopy!’ However I feel they simply wanted that little inspiration and to see what they’ll really do. I suppose as a result of I share in a extra unpolished and weak manner, it’s extra relatable and other people can get a greater understanding of what to anticipate.”
In July 2025, Yoon shared in a now-viral video that she had undergone a process in Korea to take away undereye luggage for simply $1,500.
“Doing any form of beauty surgical procedure at all times felt not possible or one thing I would not even contemplate given the excessive price within the States, however right here in Korea all the things was a lot extra inexpensive,” Yoon explains. “The outcomes have been nice, and I couldn’t not share about it.”
The video, which has amassed a million views, garnered greater than 850 feedback from intrigued customers starting from compliments on her outcomes to questions on which clinic she went to and the identify of the physician.
Yoon says that at occasions she feels “foolish” about what she shares and worries it feels trivial or useless.
“However the suggestions I get from individuals feels in any other case. I can inform that even one magnificence journey to Korea has both given them some respite and wanted self-care or was a visit with family and friends and made actually good reminiscences on the identical time. I feel lots of my followers are in an identical age group as myself and are actually searching for slightly glow up, whether or not it is for themselves or as a enjoyable ladies’ journey,” Yoon says. “I’ve gotten lots of suggestions from followers saying that taking a few of my suggestions helped make planning their journey a lot simpler.”
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