Singapore: Demand for jabs to 'create bags under eyes'
It seems a South Korea trend, known as
aegyo sal or "cute skin", has caught on
in the wealthy city state. And while, in
the West, eye bags are usually associated
with tiredness and ageing, the Straits
Times reports how the procedure of
adding small bulges to the lower eyelid
makes its Singaporean fans feel "more
youthful and friendly. So much so, it
seems they're prepared to pay about
£500 a pop to have filler injected.
Beauty clinics say demand has been
rising through the year, with one
carrying out 20 to 30 injections a month,
overwhelmingly on women in their 20s
and 30s, the report says. Plastic surgeons
told the paper that - unlike bags caused
by sleep deprivation - the procedure
gives the illusion of larger, friendlier eyes
because it mimics the tightening of a
muscle that's normally flexed when
people smile. One fashion blogger told
the paper the injection made him appear
younger and, paradoxically, "more
awake". Another has put up a YouTube
tutorial on achieving the look through
make-up that garnered 20,000 hits in
one month.
