5 Popular Procedures in Korea

South Korea is thee hub for skin care and beauty trends, so there is no surprise that there are a plethora of procedure options. Not everyone is keen on going under the knife to enhance their beauty, which is why South Koreans have developed different ways to achieve beauty. If you are looking to travel to Korea to step up your skin and beauty game, these are definitely worth looking into. Here are the few procedures that have taken Korea by storm and the ones that are gaining momentum in other countries.

Skin Botox

Also known as Skintox, Baby Botox and Meso-Botox.

"Glass skin" is the term used to describe a poreless, translucent complexion, namely, like a pane of glass. And the key to getting it is meso-Botox (or colloquially, "skin Botox"). For years, Korean celebrities have sworn by these shallow injections, especially before major events.

The goal of the teeny targeted injections is all about personalization.

Unlike traditional Botox that is injected into the muscle, Skin Botox is injected right beneath the skin to smooth the skin in a general sense. Botox irons out and prevents deep creases in the skin by weakening muscles in specific areas of the face, like your forehead, laugh lines, or crow's-feet. Skin Botox, on the other hand, targets pores to create an all-over smoothing effect.

The needle is inserted about 40 to 50 times along the jawline, forehead, and under eye area. For comparison, standard Botox is injected about three to five times. Again, the standard injection is going deeper to reach the muscle.

The injectable tightens pores to reduce their appearance and make skin look brighter in the process. It can also banish breakouts because sweat and oil glands are affected by the procedure, too. As pores essentially become smaller from the procedure, sebum stops forming.

Cherry Lips

The fruity nickname is a reference to the lip shape this filler technique creates. Koreans prefer the more targeted plumping that many K-pop stars are known for. Instead of giving lips an all over fullness, dermatologists administer a hyaluronic acid filler to the middle areas of the upper and lower lip, enhancing the Cupid's bow.

Imagine two double-stemmed cherries on their sides, the stems forming the outline of the edges of your smile.

Lift Edge Filler

So you’ve gotten your Cherry Lip filler and the doctor lets you know that you have some still left in the syringe. What are you gonna do with it? Toss it? But that would be wasteful...

After the center of the lips are plumped, the same hyaluronic acid filler is often injected just above the outer corners of the mouth — a technique called lift edge filler.

As the name suggests, the treatment raises the edges of the lips into a soft smile. As we age, the area around our mouth loses volume, and the outer corners start falling into an unintentional frown. ORRR you just have RBF and need to look a little happier without trying.

Nose Lift

Sure, the mechanics of thread lifts in Korea are the same as they are in the U.S.: Dissolvable, fine-barbed threads are passed underneath the skin with a large needle. Then, as the needle is pulled out, the barbs grab onto skin and pull it upward, stimulating collagen and tightening and lifting the skin. While threads are usually used for facelifts, they can also be used to change the contours of the nose.

Skin Booster Shots

Rejuran — which contains PDRN, short for polydeoxyribonucleotide — is the booster shot that many doctors in Korea believe holds the most promise.

PDRN is extracted from salmon DNA that has a 95% match to that of humans. This small DNA chain is known for its anti-inflammatory and tissue-repairing properties. When injected into the skin, Rejuran is said to shrink the appearance of pores, diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even skin tone, and balance oil production. Unlike skin Botox, which focuses on instantly smoothing the surface, PDRN could heal sun damage or acne overtime, based on research.

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