If you've got a passport that's a few years old, a trip through airport security can sometimes be an annoying experience when you have to explain why you don't resemble your photo. You might have changed your hair colour or length, lost or gained weight, or grown or lost your beard.
But if you've just had plastic surgery then the chances are your face will look nothing like your photo.
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That's what three women encountered as they were flying from South Korea following various procedures on their faces.
Credit: Asia Wire
The image was posted on a Chinese social networking site, where it's reported that the trio flew to South Korea during what's known as Golden Week, the annual seven-day holiday given to all Chinese workers.
It can take weeks for a patient to fully recover from facial surgery, as swelling and bleeding can occur past the normal 14-day period.
But it appears that South Korean plastic surgeons have a particular talent for incredible facial transformations. A border security official told the Metro, 23 women were stopped from entering China in 2009 after receiving dramatic surgery.
Credit: PA
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They said: "After they took off their huge hats and big sunglasses following our request, we saw them looking differently, with bandages and stitches here and there. We had to compare their uncorrected parts with their photos very carefully with our eyes and machines."
The issue has become so commonplace that hospitals are reportedly issuing patients with certificates that certify their identity, despite what they look like. The certificate includes the person's passport number as well as the name and address of the hospital, the length of stay and the hospital's official seal of approval.
It's understood that Chinese people fly to South Korea for various procedures because doctors in their own country can't be trusted.
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Surgeon Park Byong-choon told The Korean Times: "It comes from the mistrust of the system entrenched in their psyche. Chinese parents come to Korea even for childbirth. The death of a young singer under a Chinese cosmetic surgeon's knife a few years ago makes people think twice about doing it at home.
"Then there are the bloodless surgeons bent on maximizing profit. With so many ruined faces around, patients think it's better to do it right in Korea by paying more. Even the Chinese Communist Party cannot control that."
Until Chinese plastic surgery patients can extend their stay to fully complete their recovery process, many will continue to be pulled up at airport security looking like they've been stung by a couple of bees.
Sources: The Korean Times, Metro, Kotaku
Topics: Passport, South Korea, China, Plastic Surgery