Is Skin Care Tourism The New Mom-cation?

If there is one thing the algorithm of my TikTok gets correct every single time, it’s skin care. Whether it’s new products or procedures, I’m going to stick around and see what it is. So obviously, when I started getting served videos about skin care tourism, I was all in. Combining my love of skin care with my other love of travel? Say less, I am there for the entire video.

I had heard of medical tourism before — namely, horror stories of people getting botched liposuction or breast augmentation — as well as maybe getting a facial at a spa during vacation? But what I was seeing was women heading to Mexico, Turkey, Korea, and beyond for skin care treatments with downright impressive results.

For Sophia Sparks, who treated herself to aesthetic treatments in Turkey to celebrate her 40th birthday, taking the plunge on skin care tourism came after thoughtful consideration.

“I have struggled with persistent skin issues for most of my adult life and spent a lot of money working on improvement and seeing little difference,” the Los Angeles based founder of GlowDecoded, tells Scary Mommy, adding that she has tried a wide range of treatments in the U.S., including lasers, peels and regimens at med spas as well as working with board-certified dermatologists.

Sparks says she began looking internationally after realizing that many clinics abroad offer comparable procedures, as well as more innovative technology, with more personalized care models, shorter wait times, and highly competitive pricing relative to the U.S. market.

“I wanted to minimize downtime and maximize my time enjoying the trip, so I scheduled non-surgical skin procedures to address aging and skin laxity,” she explains.

While in Turkey, Sparks had Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Skin Rejuvenation, Lumecca (an intense pulsed light therapy), BroadBand Light Photorejuvenation (BBL), Ultherapy (a skin-lifting treatment), Botox injections, and skin-brightening IV drips.

Sparks was “astounded” by the price difference relative to the U.S. market, noting she paid $1,200 for all of her procedures in Turkey, which would easily set her back $10,000 or more at home in the U.S.

But she says that affordability wasn’t the only draw.

“The physicians were top-notch, the quality of care was personalized, and downtime was minimal. What would have taken multiple visits over multiple days was done with absolute efficiency within several hours over the course of a few days. After all my treatments, they put sunscreen on me, served tea and pastries, and I was good to go to enjoy my days,” she says. “The clinic followed up after each session to ensure I was comfortable and healing properly before my flight home. It was a five-star experience.”

Sparks isn’t an outlier. Statistics from the Korean Ministry of Health showed that nearly 1.2 million people from 202 countries visited in 2024 for aesthetic reasons.

Sara Yoon, a mom of two based in Seoul, tells Scary Mommy that she thinks skin care tourism in Korea is booming as global interest in the country has grown over the years.

“Fifteen years ago when I last lived in Korea, there were never this many tourists,” Yoon says. “Also, I think a huge factor is social media. It seems everyone is on TikTok or Instagram these days, and I think that's where a lot of people are learning about what's available in Korea.”

Yoon’s entire social media presence, aptly sloganed “Your Korean Glow Up Guide,” shares what you can have done in Korea — and where to go to do it.

“I've met people and have had people tell me that they came to Korea after watching my videos, and my first thought is… ‘That's crazy!’ But I think they just needed that little inspiration and to see what they can actually do. I guess because I share in a more unpolished and vulnerable way, it is more relatable and people can get a better understanding of what to expect.”

In July 2025, Yoon shared in a now-viral video that she had undergone a procedure in Korea to remove undereye bags for just $1,500.

“Doing any sort of cosmetic surgery always felt impossible or something I wouldn't even consider given the high cost in the States, but here in Korea everything was so much more affordable,” Yoon explains. “The results were great, and I couldn’t not share about it.”

The video, which has amassed one million views, garnered more than 850 comments from intrigued users ranging from compliments on her results to questions about which clinic she went to and the name of the doctor.

Yoon says that at times she feels “silly” about what she shares and worries it feels trivial or vain.

“But the feedback I get from people feels otherwise. I can tell that even one beauty trip to Korea has either given them some respite and needed self-care or was a trip with friends and family and made really good memories at the same time. I think a lot of my followers are in a similar age group as myself and are now looking for a little glow up, whether it's for themselves or as a fun girls' trip,” Yoon says. “I've gotten a lot of feedback from followers saying that taking some of my recommendations helped make planning their trip so much easier.”