This article was originally written in Korean by Dr. Insoo Kirk and translated into English with the assistance of ChatGPT.

When I think about what truly constitutes good plastic surgery, I believe it is surgery that, when looked back upon many years later, still feels like the right decision.

A procedure that allows you to look back 20 years later and feel certain that the surgery you underwent in the past has made your life brighter and happier.

It sounds like such a simple and obvious goal. Yet, in reality, making that kind of choice is much more difficult than it may seem.

So, what are the qualities that make plastic surgery a truly good and worthwhile choice?

First, the goal should be to create beauty that remains timeless.

The ideal approach is one that does not stray too far from the standards of beauty that have been valued across generations.

This may mean enhancing the characteristics that create an attractive and balanced appearance for each individual, or preserving and highlighting the unique aesthetic qualities associated with different ethnicities and regions.

For example, making a man's features overly feminine, or creating an exceptionally high nose on an Asian patient with typically Asian facial features simply to resemble a Caucasian nose, may satisfy a temporary desire. However, there is a strong possibility that satisfaction with such changes may decrease over time.

Beauty trends that arise from a particular event, celebrity, or moment in time—and procedures designed around an appearance that is considered beautiful only within a specific group—may not stand the test of time.

For this reason, such decisions should be approached with great care.

Second, good plastic surgery should preserve individuality while maintaining a natural appearance.

Rather than applying the same formula to transform the entire face into a predetermined ideal, good plastic surgery is more likely to focus on improving areas that are lacking or enhancing the individual characteristics that make each person unique.

It also tends to avoid excessively altering the underlying anatomical structures.

This approach allows patients to retain their own identity and can reduce the risk of complications while making future revision or corrective surgery easier if needed.

Of course, choosing natural-looking surgery does not mean that major procedures should be avoided.

As a plastic surgeon, I regularly perform major procedures such as orthognathic surgery, facial contouring surgery, and deep-plane facelift surgery.

Preserving individuality does not mean avoiding surgery. It means improving the aspects that may be considered weaknesses without turning someone into a completely different person.

If a procedure is chosen for that purpose, there is nothing wrong with undergoing significant surgery when it is appropriate.

However, I believe it is better to avoid procedures that erase a person's existing individuality simply to fit a predetermined standard of beauty.

Ultimately, one of the most important goals of plastic surgery is to achieve a result that looks as though it has always been a natural part of the person.

Finally, the choice of safe and well-established techniques and materials is essential.

There have been numerous cases in the past where surgeries using new or experimental materials eventually caused problems.

This is not unique to plastic surgery; the same can happen in other areas of medicine as well.

Even medical materials that have undergone clinical trials and received approval from regulatory authorities in various countries have, in some cases, caused problems only after being used in large numbers of patients over an extended period of time.

One well-known example is the widespread use of liquid silicone breast implants around the mid-to-late 20th century. They were used extensively at the time, but concerns regarding tissue necrosis, autoimmune disease, and the potential development of malignancies eventually led to their discontinuation.

For this reason, I believe that when choosing a surgical method or material, it is important not only to consider what is new, but also to consider how safe and reliable it has proven to be over time.

Today, I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts on what I believe plastic surgery should ultimately aim for.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this rather long piece.