Face-altering cosmetic procedures ¡ª the irresistible nectar of showbiz, late-night talk show celebrity guests and part-time drag queens like me.

Fortunately, those of us in Japan are uniquely positioned between two opposing hot spots of the beauty industry: Seoul and Tokyo.

South Korea is the world¡¯s of elective plastic surgeries, with one study finding that as many as 31% of women between ages 30 and 39 have had a procedure. The country is a popular destination for travelers seeking cheap and relatively safe treatments, referred to commonly as ¡°fast beauty¡± clinics. Friends in Seoul have told me they know of clinics where I could get Botox at 9,030 won (about ?1,000) per injection ¡ª an option I was seriously considering, except for the cost and effort of planning a round trip to South Korea.

By contrast, Japan¡¯s market is much smaller and more upscale. Clinics in Tokyo are expensive but pride themselves on their quality and attention to each client.

¡°There¡¯s always a risk of getting botched at the fast beauty clinics without the right aftercare or follow-up visits,¡± a counselor (now departed from the company) at in the trendy Ginza neighborhood told me. ¡°A good clinic makes sure the doctor sees you a few weeks after the procedure to check how you¡¯re healing, and provides interpreters and language support at all times.¡±

Prices at these Ginza clinics are steep, however; Bianca has a base treatment fee of ?24,200, an additional ?726 per each 1-milliliter unit of Botox and ?84,700 for dermal filler. The game changer for me was their special modeling campaign: Basically, all my costs would be halved if I let Bianca use my photos and videos in their online marketing (note: Bianca is not offering this campaign currently). Other clinics offer similar campaigns occasionally, and some medical esthetic academies accept patients as ¡°practice models¡± for discounted prices.

For the uninitiated: Botox, or botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxic protein used commercially to cause flaccid paralysis in muscles, the ¡°freeze and tighten.¡± In addition to smoothing foreheads, Botox can also treat muscle spasms, migraines and excessive sweating. Dermal filler, or hyaluronic acid, is essentially a goo-like substance that dwells in most human tissues and cell membranes. Like Botox, filler has medical uses as well: treating arthritic joints and preparing tissue for cancer radiation.

With over 9 million Botox recipients and over 4 million for filler, these two procedures dominate the surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic fields globally. People love them for their de-aging effects and because they are less invasive, less risky and far more affordable than surgeries like facelifts, which cost, on average, ?800,000 in Tokyo and 1.9 million won (about...