u/Ok_Corgi4610

If you’re here for like 5 days and still wanna go outside, eat, shop, take photos etc, there are some treatments that make way more sense than others bc some of the treatments I see tourists booking are actually insane 🥴 like subcision, aggressive lasers, rejuran or filler all before their flight home

Then they spend the whole trip swollen!!

One thing I actually recommend a lot is skin botox (dermotoxin)

Not regular botox btw, it’s injected very superficially into the skin instead of the muscles

So it doesn’t really freeze your face, it’s more for oil control, smoother texture, pores looking a bit tighter, makeup sitting better

Usually the skin starts looking nicer after like 1-2 weeks
Downtime is pretty low too except tiny bumps for few hours depending on skin thickness

Another thing korean clinics use on literally everyone is LDM

I feel like tourists never know what this machine is because it sounds underwhelming compared to all the flashy lifting lasers but honestly for irritated skin, dry skin, redness, damaged barrier, post laser inflammation… it works really nicely

It uses ultrasound frequencies that switch really fast, so instead of damaging the skin it’s more calming /repairing

I use it a lot after stronger procedures because it helps calm down the heat and irritation faster. Also if someone overdid tretinoin before coming to Korea… LDM usually saves them

For jawline / lower face I think Onda is becoming really popular lately

Especially for people who don’t necessarily need lifting but have slight heaviness around the lower cheek or double chin

It targets fat + tightening together so the face looks a bit cleaner over time, not immediate though
Usually looks better after few weeks once swelling goes down and the lymphatic drainage kicks in properly but downtime is low enough that most people go eat dinner right after

Laser toning is another one tourists do a lot here

For pigmentation, uneven skin tone, dullness, leftover acne marks etc

When done gently it’s one of the easier lasers to recover from, usually just mild redness for few hours. The problem is some clinics overtreat tourists trying to make the results faster and then the barrier gets completely destroyed

Good laser toning should look gradual, not dramatic after js 1 session

And then there’s skin boosters like skinvive / chanel injections / exosomes etc. These are more for hydration and texture like when people say they want that korean glass skin look, this is usually closer to what they mean

Personally I don’t think these are miracle treatments the way social media makes them sound, especially if someone’s barrier is already damaged. Sometimes simple hydration just looks good because most people are dehydrated and sleep deprived honestly lol

Anyways yeah… if you’re coming to Korea for treatments I really think downtime matters more than people expect. There’s no point doing the strongest procedure possible if you spend the rest of the trip hiding in the hotel with ice packs on your face!!

At first glance, Coretox and Xeomin sound like the same thing. And honestly… they’re very similar, but not 100% identical.

Both are what we call pure toxins, meaning they don’t have those extra complexing proteins that older formulas do. Those proteins don’t help your wrinkles, but your body can react to them over time → which is where resistance can start.

That’s why clinics in Seoul have been slowly shifting toward these.

Xeomin came first. It’s from Germany, been around longer, and is known for being very consistent. A lot of doctors trust it because it behaves pretty predictably, esp in patients who feel like their Botox isn’t hitting the same anymore.

Coretox is kind of the Korean version of that idea. Also purified, no complexing proteins, and no animal derived ingredients. It’s become really popular here mainly because it gives similar results but at a better price point.

If we keep it simple:

Xeomin: more established, very consistent, slightly more expensive
Coretox: newer, similar effect, more budget-friendly

In terms of actual results… most people won’t notice a big difference tbh. Both kick in after a few days, both last around 3–4 months, and both soften lines the same way if injected properly.

Where it does matter more is long-term.

→ if you’re doing Botox regularly for years
→ or doing Skin Botox (more injections, more exposure)

then choosing a cleaner toxin can make more sense over time.

If I had to say it in a very real clinic way: Xeomin is the safe, established choice… Coretox is the practical choice that most people are happy with.

Dose, placement, dilution, even how often you’re doing it, all of that affects your result way more than whether it’s Xeomin or Coretox. I’ve seen amazing results with both, and also very underwhelming ones with both.

Curious if anyone here has tried both? Did you feel any diff or basically the same? 👀

A lot of patients ask me about Lip Botox lately, especially people who are scared of getting that obvious filler look, so I thought I’d explain it simply.

Lip Botox (or Lip Flip) is very different from lip filler.

We’re not adding volume with hyaluronic acid. Instead, we use a very small amount of Botox around the orbicularis oris muscle, which is the muscle surrounding your mouth.

When that muscle relaxes a little, the upper lip gently rolls outward. It makes more of the pink part of the lip show, so the lip looks slightly fuller without actually adding volume.

This works best for people who feel like their upper lip disappears when they smile, or people who want a softer, subtle pout without looking like they got filler.

But if your goal is real volume, bigger lips, or correcting strong asymmetry, I’ll be honest, Botox won’t do much. That’s where filler makes more sense.

The procedure itself is very quick, usually under 10 minutes. Just a few tiny injections.

Unlike filler, there’s almost no swelling and no “duck lip” phase, which is why many people like it.

The result is also not immediate. Usually you start noticing the flip after about 3–7 days as the muscle starts relaxing.

One thing I always tell patients during consultation: expectations matter a lot.

Lip Botox is subtle. Very subtle.

If you’re expecting a dramatic transformation, you’ll probably be disappointed. It’s more of a soft refresh than a big change.

Also, because the muscle around the mouth is slightly relaxed, some people feel a little awkward drinking from a straw or pronouncing certain words for the first few days. It’s temporary, but it does happen.

The downside is that it doesn’t last very long, usually around 2 to 3 months because we use a very small dose in an area that moves constantly.

Personally, I think Lip Botox is great for the right person, especially if you want a “trial version” before deciding on filler.

It’s one of the easiest ways to make the smile look softer and prettier without much downtime. The best results always come from understanding your own lip shape first, not just following trends online.

Rejuran is honestly one of my favorite treatments for skin healing.

I use it a lot for patients with sensitive skin, redness, damaged skin barrier, post laser recovery, and overall skin quality improvement. It makes the skin healthier, calmer, and smoother over time.

But when someone comes in mainly worried about enlarged pores, especially oily pores or acne scar type pores, I usually tell them very honestly that Rejuran alone is often not enough.

Because “large pores” is actually a very broad term. Not all pores are the same, and the treatment depends completely on what is causing them.

The first and most common cause is oil production.

If your skin gets shiny very fast, makeup disappears by lunchtime, and your T-zone is always oily, the pores usually look bigger because the sebaceous glands are overactive.

In these cases, Skin Botox often works much better than Rejuran because it helps reduce oil production itself. Less oil means pores naturally look tighter. For oily skin patients, this is often the fastest visible improvement.

The second cause is collagen loss around the pore walls.

This is something I see a lot after acne, or simply with age.

People often think the pore itself is the problem, but actually the issue is that the collagen support around it becomes weaker, so the pore stretches and stays enlarged.

This is where treatments like Potenza, Sylfirm X, or RF microneedling usually make much more sense. You need to rebuild the structure around the pore, not just hydrate the skin.

And then there’s the third group, which gets misdiagnosed all the time: acne scars pretending to be pores.

A lot of people say they have “huge pores,” but when I examine the skin, they actually have shallow acne scars.

That’s a completely different treatment plan.

No facial, no serum, and honestly no basic skin booster is going to fix that. That usually needs subcision, fractional laser, RF microneedling, and sometimes Juvelook.

This is why some people keep doing Rejuran and keep feeling disappointed. It’s not that Rejuran failed, it’s that it was never treating the real problem.

Personally, for acne scar pores and rough texture, I often prefer combining Potenza with Juvelook.

That combination has become really popular in Korea because Juvelook helps stimulate collagen without giving that heavy filler look, and the long-term improvement is usually stronger.

So if Rejuran didn’t help your pores, I wouldn’t immediately say the treatment was bad.

Most of the time, it simply means your pores were caused by oil, collagen loss, or scarring not skin barrier issues.

And treatment always has to match the cause.

Sometimes the answer is Skin Botox. Sometimes it’s Potenza. Sometimes it’s Juvelook.

And sometimes… you actually needed subcision from the beginning !!

That’s why proper diagnosis matters way more than just booking whatever treatment is trending on TikTok.