Lifting Treatments
“Lifting over shopping!” Where are tourists gathering as visa-free entry for Chinese visitors resumes?
Since visa-free entry for Chinese group tours resumed in October, an unexpected place in Seoul has become busier: dermatology clinics. Around Gangnam, Sinsa and Apgujeong, already popular with international visitors, more patients arrive with suitcases. Appointments fill early every day, and Chinese and Japanese mingle in waiting rooms.
Medical tourists visiting Korea are increasing steadily and rapidly. Last year 1.17 million arrived, and more than 64% visited dermatology, making cosmetic procedures an established travel essential. With Chinese visa-free entry added, overseas bookings are surging as of November. The preference is clear for procedures promising immediate effects during short stays, with little swelling or recovery time.
Korean dermatology competes on more than technology. Its greatest advantage is trust that genuine products are used and only specialists perform procedures. A treatment costing around KRW 500,000 overseas can be around KRW 200,000 in Korea. Recovery is short, and many tourists shop the very next day. Pharmacies and beauty drugstores such as Olive Young in Sinsa and Apgujeong are crowded with foreigners seeking recovery cosmetics and skin boosters.
Although the government announced that VAT refunds on foreign visitors’ cosmetic procedures would end next year, enthusiasm has not cooled. Instead, distrust arising from illegal and nonmedical-practitioner procedures in China has strengthened the image of safe Korean dermatology. Foreigners receive treatments as part of a trip or its very purpose. In this flow, Korean dermatology has become one of the world’s hottest tourist destinations.
Top five procedures foreigners receive in Korea
① Baby Collagen injections — improve under-eye hollows and firmness. Hollow under-eyes easily make a face look tired. These injections introduce regenerative ingredients to fill depressions naturally and improve fine lines and elasticity together. Little swelling or bruising makes them easy to fit into a travel schedule.
② Silky Pore Injections + Onda — refine texture, shrink pores and improve deep cheek sagging. Microwave lifting firmly lifts to the muscle layer, improving nasolabial folds and deep cheek sagging to smooth uneven facial contours. Silky Pore Injections reduce pores that look like bumps and improve makeup adherence for photogenic skin. They can also be applied to sensitive or oily skin.
③ Royal Rejuran — moisture, regeneration and radiance. A highly concentrated hydration and regeneration complex is injected into the dermis, promoting brightening, moisture and regeneration from within for lively skin. Skin looks brighter immediately and makeup sits better, allowing effects to be felt during the trip.
④ Ultherapy — firming lift and contour definition. High-intensity ultrasound stimulates the deep facial SMAS layer to lift sagging jawlines and cheeks. Natural, distinct contours make it the most popular lifting procedure.
⑤ Thermage — collagen regeneration and texture improvement. Radiofrequency heat promotes collagen to soften fine lines and firm skin. Its hallmark is radiant texture, suited to patients wanting both lifting and texture improvement.