▶ Previous Artlcle : [Person of the Month] Dr. Nariaki Miyata Ⅰ
Do you have any advice for Korean doctors on how to improve Korea’s dermatology and plastic surgery?
There is heated competition in Korea’s aesthetic market. Korean doctors are quick to purchase new devices. But they need to also remember that they already have old but excellent devices. These proven devices lead the trend in the long-run. I would like to ask them, ‘Are new devices always better?’
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Dr. Nariaki Miyata has recently published a book titled <美容医療機器の利用と実践> in collaboration with Dr. Nak-gyung Noh of Leaders Dermatology Clinic. This book has earned rave reviews as a work that provides easy interpretations of complicated theory of laser and other aesthetic devices. Currently, Dr. Noh is supervising translation and review of a Korean version. The Korean version will be available as early as this summer.
A Korean translation of your book will be released here soon. How do you feel about this?
I am very happy to have my book released in Korea. As I do not speak a lot of English I do not give talks in international conferences. Therefore, Korean doctors are not familiar with my name. I am not a physicist but I have great interest in the mechanism and theory of medical devices. I have just started to understand the principles of medical devices and would like to share my insight with other doctors in plain language.
A lot of Chinese patients are visiting Korean doctors. What are your thoughts on the role of China in the Asian aesthetic market? How would you evaluate the prospects of the Chinese market?
China has a large population of wealthy people. And they do not trust Chinese doctors. Some Chinese patients have visited hospitals in Japan but most of practices here lack systemic readiness to handle Chinese patients. For this reason, only very few Chinese patients visit Japan. On the other hand, Korean hospitals are seeing an influx of Chinese visitors. This may be related to international politics. Japan and China used to have a good relationship but not any more. Korea is seeing a lot of Chinese patients now but this will change as they will eventually prefer Chinese doctors when their medical skills improve. In the future, only very wealthy people will visit a foreign country for the best outcome but the number will be small. I am wary of popularity. When popularity wanes after hitting a peak, only damages will remain.
Could you briefly summarize the global trends in the field of aesthetic medicine?
Many medical devices have entered the market in the last century. The market is also growing. But we have used all energy sources (light, RF, laser, microwave, and ultrasound, etc.). It has become very difficult for manufacturers to come up with innovative devices. From here on, those who provide differentiation from previous devices rather than create new devices will have the competitive edge.
-To be continued-
