Kim Sung-ryung’s youthful look at 57: Does skin give back what you invest?

Actress Kim Sung-ryung spoke openly and confidently about skincare. Appearing on the MBN/Channel S variety show ‘Jeon Hyun-moo’s Plan 2’, she laughed when asked how she cared for her skin and said, ‘I went to the dermatologist yesterday too.’ After Jeon Hyun-moo first admitted that he received Ultherapy, she replied, ‘I do Thermage,’ adding frankly, ‘Thermage is normally once a year; instead, I increase the number of shots. The standard is usually 600, but I get 900.’ Jeon jokingly responded, ‘That’s a lot of hits,’ setting everyone laughing. Kim said, ‘The amount I earn and invest back in myself is enormous,’ revealing her philosophy of maintaining a youthful appearance.

At 57, Kim Sung-ryung is synonymous with looking young, and her remark conveys that skin is part of self-care. Her defined jawline and smooth, even facial contours are not simply inherited. The secret to an appearance that belies her age comes from consistent investment in her skin.

At its centre is Thermage. This device treatment delivers radiofrequency energy deep into skin to induce collagen production and tighten it from within. It provides stable, refined lifting for people concerned about fine lines, pores and reduced elasticity, particularly those with thin skin.

The ‘shots’ Kim mentioned indicate treatment coverage or density. According to skin condition, increasing the count in units such as 600 or 900 can deliver energy more densely. A larger number is not automatically better, of course. Sensitivity to heat, skin thickness and pace of aging must be carefully considered; higher shot counts require thorough consultation and precise planning.

Meanwhile, the Ultherapy Jeon said he receives is often compared with Thermage, but the mechanisms differ. Thermage delivers heat to the dermis—the middle skin layer—and subcutaneous fat, producing a ‘firmly filling lift’. Ultherapy, by contrast, directs high-intensity ultrasound at the SMAS fascia beneath the skin for ‘structural lifting’. Neither can simply be declared better. Before choosing, one must understand facial structure: whether pulling it upward or adding fullness would make it look more balanced.

Does Thermage have side effects? How can its effects be maximised?

Some people report that after lifting their face looks more defined but somehow ‘hollow’. What is needed then is gentle volume supplementation. Adding Baby Collagen injections, Silky Pore injections or Benjamin Lifting when undergoing lifting lasers such as Ultherapy, Thermage, Onda, Oligio or Revinas can produce complementary effects. Baby Collagen injections in particular place collagen-inducing ingredients in the dermis, naturally filling hollow areas and making the face look livelier.

A youthful appearance is determined not merely by ‘taut skin’, but by restoring a ‘balance of dimensions’: lifting where needed and filling where needed. Some faces become defined by lifting from the jawline, while others look softer when volume below the cheekbones is restored. Such a strategy lies behind Kim’s ‘900-shot Thermage’. What matters is not the number, but the confidence that one knows one’s face better than anyone. Good skin ultimately reflects how well one understands oneself and how consistently one has invested in oneself.

▼ For further details, please visit the official Dr. Seolreim YouTube channel.