this is "nightline". >> tonight, what is the real price of beauty? if you're not born with the face you want you can buy it. tonight we travel to the plastic surgery capital of the world where these women travel by the thousands to change their looks. but is it worth the price? >> plus, a teen, and the daring rescue with only minutes to save him. it is one of the busiest summers for beach rescues. why more swimmers this year are getting caught in that tide and what you need to know. and homecoming king. lebron james, the man some loves to hate. his announcement tonight causing

quite the stir. but first. the "nightline" five. >> save 50 to 80% store wide, plus get an extra 20 to 50 off. 9:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.

good evening, and thank you for joining us. tonight we're about to take you to the place where hundreds of thousands come every year for a tempting bargain. but is it really worth it? you're about to meet a woman who flew 6,000 milines to get what e really wants, but is it worth it? if plastic surgery had a mecca, it would be the ritzy district of south korea. everywhere you look there are women seemingly trying to look like the plastic doll-like plastic people here. thousands travel to korea from all over the globe to go under the knife. >> i think the results would be here in korea because they know the asian face better. >> reporter: the plastic

surgeons in korea are regarded as among the best in the world that attracts clients like this lady. she is getting ready to head to seoul for her own plastic surgery over shaul. >> just recently i had my nose done by a beverly hills plastic surgeon but it is still not what i'm looking for. i went to a famous doctor and spent $8,000. in south korea it is anywhere from two to 4 or $5,000, so it is significantly cheaper and i think the results will be better. >> reporter: she consults the leading clinic in south korea, led by this leading surgeon. >> tell me what you don't like about yourself. >> i definitely think my forehead could use some rounding out, my eyes could be a little more extended so that they're longer and bigger and not so

slanted upwards, you can correct my rhinoplasty, and injection and my chin. but my personality is a-okay. >> reporter: she makes final preparations, heading to seoul. five-star service at every turn. upon landing, she is greeted by an attendant, and taken away in a gleaming rolls royce. that evening, jessica settles into her luxurious accommodations. >> so this is my room. >> reporter: oh, wow. >> not bad, right? this is like a living room area space, they have 24-hour staff so if i have a medical issue. >> reporter: this is on staff? >> yes. >> reporter: so how much are we

talking about? >> it is a down payment on a house. but if i done it in america it would be two houses. >> reporter: but does it occur to you you're trying to fix something that is not on the outside, but on the inside? >> so if i can be completely candid, i was married to an abusive man who actually caused some of my facial problems. he went to prison, i divorced him and went into years of depression, and just unhealthy eating and not taking good care of myself. >> reporter: and so fixing your jaw also has deep meaning for you? >> it does, it kind of helps with the old wounds that sort of set in. it is not just on the outside, it feels like i'm shedding my old skin, leaving a lot of bag

baggage behind. >> reporter: despite her deep desire to have the surgery done, the reality kicks in the morning of the procedure. jessica's fear is palpable. >> don't get nervous. >> okay. say a little prayer for me. this is the last time i'm going to see my face looking like this. face-off. >> reporter: her many doctors make their final markings where the incisions will take place. >> i might hit on this doctor. >> i can understand. >> snuck up on me! are we starting now? >> yes. >> we're starting? >> yes. >> okay, jesus loves everybody. signing off. >> reporter: soon, jessica is out cold and the extensive multi-part surgery begins. jessica is having her nose

redone. her jaw contoured, her eyes enlarged and fat grafted from her stomach to her forehead. next, jessica is undergoing her own nose surgery and jaw line slimming. between them, the two women well indure nearly ten hours on the operating table and nearly six different procedures. after the surgeries, jessica and christina are recovering in twin beds, both are in excruciating pain. >> i can't even describe the pain, at nighttime without the pills i constantly feel this like knife cutting through my bones. and i can't say anything, because my mouth is open and i'm drooling. and i have cotton in my nose.

all the beauty, all for what. >> reporter: you wouldn't do it again? >> never, never. >> never. >> reporter: even if you think you look great? >> no, no, no never. like i would just learn to live with myself. like i wasn't like hideous. >> after going through this i don't want to hurt anymore. i can live with it for 20 years. >> if i knew what i had to go through ahead of time there is no way i would be able to go through it again. there is no way in hell. like going through this is so hard. i feel like i'm sinned. i just feel like i've sinned. and this is so different from what i thought during my interview, and i just came here, and god said why did you do this? i made you so perfect. that is just the voice i kept hearing. >> reporter: over the course of the next few days and months? >> hi, today is day two of my surgery. >> reporter: jessica documents

her recovery by flip cam. >> day three, you think the worse has passed. day six, my swelling has gone down, maybe god heard all of my prayers of anguish. >> i just boarded my flight. everybody can tell i just had surgery, but other than that, i'm okay. >> reporter: and if the pain goes away, her extreme regret goes away, as well. >> hi, guys it is me, post surgery, still a little stiffer, other than that, feeling great. >> i look better now. >> reporter: back on the other side of the world it has been three months since christina lay in her hospital bed in unbearable pain. >> it hurt me so much, i couldn't even swallow my own saliva, i couldn't even drink or eat, it was the worst experience ever. >> reporter: but was it worth it? >> i would tell my friends if they don't have a problem living with their faces i would tell them not to do it. >> reporter: as for jessica, three months after the surgery

the pain she suffered in that hospital bed seems worlds away. >> i love it. i feel softer. i feel more feminine. i have to say this, koreans are perfectionist, they perfected a nose that an american doctor just messed up. lord have mercy it is just beautiful. >> reporter: but to some what seems so superficial is not so superficial at all. >> it is just a reflection of the transformation being in an abusive marriage, it is not so shallow as it seems. i'm meeting the world with a fresh face, same firecracker personality but a new outlook on life. >> our thanks to both ladies for sharing their stories. up next, for us it has been

an extremely busy summer for beach rescue teams. what is going on. and it is yet another game-changer for lebron james. will it be a welcome homecoming? >> lbj! ♪ fill their bowl with the meaty tastes they're looking for, with friskies grillers. tender meaty pieces and crunchy bites. in delicious chicken, beef, turkey, and garden veggie flavors. friskies grillers.

so why are we so,000 obsessed with turbo? card with a new volkswagen turbo. because there's nothing more exhilarating than a powerful ride. and you can get that in places you might not expect. like the passat. and also in the fun-to-drive jetta. in fact, volkswagen has sold more turbos than any other brand over the last ten years. that is a lot of turbo. hurry in and you can get a $1,000 turbocharged reward card when you lease a new 2014 passat s for $219 a month. it made the difference between hearing about my daughter's gym meet and being there. yeah!!! nailed it!! unlike the bargain brand, depend® gives you fit-flex™ our best protection. it's a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra® strands. hi sweetie! get your free sample at depend.com

. you know, just this week 300 people were rescued from one california beach alone. and it is not just on the west coast, experts say beach rescues are at an all-time high and there is an unsettling reason why. abc's matt gutman has more.

>> reporter: in california, a teen plunges into the water. there you see him being rag dolled by the monster surf and current. he goes in after him, and then the other is caught in the current, as well. his buddy takes the plunge, finally, hosting it, and the ocean rescue choppers arrive. >> he said i think he is dead, i said no, no, we're not going to give up on this kid. this daring rescue caught on camera, just one of so many, doesn't just seem like the sea is swallowing up the swimmers this year, rescue crews say it is, the super charged surfs and rip currents, sweep coast to coast, early monday at newport beach, california, the surf was high, they saw a struggling swimmer. he did what he had been trained to do and dove? >> then was hit by a large way with the victim and the victim

came up and then did not. >> experts like the lifeguard at that beach say that too often swimmers just get too confident. >> people have to know their limitations on what they can do in and out of the ocean. the ocean is dynamic, it is not ever the same. and again, rescue crews are still looking for the 18-year-old swimmer. >> i tried to save him, i couldn't carry him on my back, i couldn't swim back. >> reporter: here you see this young girl try to cross this channel. it is shallow, but the current sucks her in, and she is bashed back and forth, again and again, slipping to grab her frantic friend. even this burly rescuer, stopped by the current, finally, she climbs out exhausted after

clinging to a rock. there was no lifeguard at this near-drowning, but every year 59,000 americans-plus are rescued from our oceans. and this year, say lifeguards and specialists, it has been particularly bad. in l.a. county alone a 300% increase in rescues. in fact, if you're lucky enough to be grabbed by a lifeguard like ben, chances are you will survive. and nationwide only 17 people died at beaches last year. >> we want people to be educated, know their abilities and be able to swim safely in the ocean. >> reporter: and it is not just the sunny california coast but the sunshine state has seen rescues soar. >> we'll put towers in between towers if we have to. >> reporter: and it is not just anecdotal, says the fire chief. how much has it been packed because of the economy? >> i would say we have a 10 to

20% increase with the patrons. >> reporter: mother nature has been very cruel this year he says, unleashing a quiet year in california. >> reporter: so it is even like a perfect storm, more rip currents, more rescues. >> exactly, rip currents are an ocean-going stream of water. you can't fight it. the olympic swimmer can't fight against it. >> reporter: last week as hurricane arthur came barrelling through, we were there when a call came in to daytona beach. >> it was somebody that just got caught in the rip tide. >> reporter: there on the beach, dozens of people, some in the surf. but despite that, the silent killer, the rip tides, lurk nearby. >> it is a channel that forms in the sand bar. >> reporter: easily carrying even a strong swimmer out to sea

and most often rip currents are invisible. these five girls in central florida last week were paddle boarding and slammed into these rocks. >> i thought we were going to die. we couldn't breathe. >> reporter: alex and her friends scrambling onto this rock jetty. so what do you do in a rip current? >> your instinct is to go right there to the shore, that is exactly what you should not do. swim horizontal to the shore to get out. >> reporter: and an easy lesson by the mayor. >> when you go to the beach, you will find flags and safety signage, and ask the lifeguard whether or not all that means. >> reporter: your chances of dying in the water, about 18 million to one, you're 100 times more likely to die in the lightning strike. so if you do wade out in the waves this weekend, rescue crews say sure, bring your camera.

but don't forget your common sense. for "nightline." i'm matt gutman, in miami. up next, home is where the heart is. abc news "nightline." brought to you by nissan. ♪ da-da-da-da-da, bum-da, bum-da ♪ ♪ bum-da, bum-da ♪ the animals went in two by two ♪ ♪ the sheep and the frog and the kangaroo ♪ ♪ and they all went marching, marching in two by two ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the nissan pathfinder, with intuitive four-wheel drive. an adventure worth sharing. nissan. innovation that excites. if you suffer from constipation, you will likely also suffer from gas. introducing new dulcogas, which starts working to eliminate gas bubbles in minutes for effective relief. dulcogas, from the makers of dulcolax- nothing relieves gas faster.

dulcogas, from the makers of dulcolax- things on purpose? youe not a color found nature. there's nothing wrong with tha. i can hear your arteries clogging. ok. no. this is tap water. i can't let you buy this. oh. crystal geyser please. crystal geyser. bottled at the mountain source.

star command, i'm detecting.ss of happiness. ...and the speed readings are off the chart! paradise found! luscious locks!great gl! the happiest place on earth keeps getting happier! this summer with a disneyland resort room and ticket package you get the time you need to enjoy it all. there's no end in sight! i'm going to need more time.

surprise!lcome back. crystal geyser alpine spring water. crystal geyser. crystal geyser. news flash, it's bottled at the source. news flash, we sell it in cases. oh. thank you. oh no no no. crystal geyser. bottled right at the mountain source. we all know nba superstar

lebron james caused an uproar when he traded in his cavs jersey for the miami heat. tonight, the cavs sold out season tickets within a matter of hours. so is all forgiven? he may have smooth moves on the court but lebron james has some awkward maneuvers when it comes to breaking up. >> this time i'm going to take myself to south beach and join the miami heat. >> reporter: that was four years ago, and his jilted hometown of cleveland did not take it well. he arrogantly boasted he was leaving to win championships. after four years in miami, he got two. but after losing in the finals to the san antonio spurs this year, james decided to opt out of the contract and entertain other offers, leaving the world to ponder where he would end up. >> breaking news on sports

center. lebron james is going back to cleveland. >> reporter: breaking news now. >> lebron james is coming home. >> today he announced his new decision, spoken quietly in a sports illustrated article. lebron james saying i always believed i would return to cleveland and finish my career there. i'm ready to accept the challenge. i'm coming home. in cleveland, fans rejoiced, welcoming their prodigal son back to the city that raised him. of course, miami fans were less happy. for now, it is a homecoming for the king, instagraming this picture to a million likes, most of them coming to cleveland fans, today those fans and the world learned his new plans. in goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question, but what is more important to me is bringing one trophy back to northeast ohio. but can he bring a championship to cleveland? a city that has been without one

for 50 years. well, at least he now has home court advantage. thank you for joining us on abc news, tune into "good morning america" tomorrow, and be sure to tune in to prime time. and as always, we're on line. have a great weekend, everybody. good night.