Korean Acne Treatment: What a Clinic Session in Seoul Involves, and What It Can't Do

I'm Dr. Hyunji Kim, director and lead physician at Delphic Clinic in Gangnam. I came to aesthetic medicine from Korea University Medical Center and I am a member of the Korean Society for Laser Dermatology & Hair and the Korean Academy of Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Medicine, with most of my work in laser, lifting and anti-ageing care. Many younger international patients, though, first book with me for Korean acne treatment.

Korean acne treatment comes up in my consultations every week, usually from someone who has tried every cleanser at home and wants to know what a Seoul clinic does differently. The honest answer is that we do a few simple things very carefully, in one session. This page explains what that session contains, and just as importantly, what it cannot fix.

Sort your breakouts first: a two-minute acne map

Before you book anything, look closely in good light. Different spots respond to different steps, and knowing which you have makes the consultation faster and your expectations more accurate.

If you are unsure whether small white bumps are comedones at all, my guide on milia vs closed comedones shows how to tell them apart in the mirror.

Inside a Korean acne treatment session

1. 1

   Self-cleansing

   You wash your face so we start on clean skin, without makeup or sunscreen.

2. 2

   Extraction

   Comedones and ripe inflammation are cleared after disinfection, with care taken not to damage the surrounding skin.

3. 3

   Anti-inflammatory injections

   Inflamed spots are injected directly. This calms the inflammation quickly and lowers the chance of it progressing.

4. 4

   Blue LED, then finish

   Ten minutes of blue light, followed by a soothing finish so you can leave without heavy redness.

Extraction and inflammation injections: the honest limits

Extraction matters because leftover comedones tend to become inflamed again, and inflammation left alone can leave marks or pitted scars. Anti-inflammatory injections are the fastest way I know to calm a single angry spot before an event.

But neither step changes your oil production, hormones or habits. That is why I talk about home care in every acne consultation, and why some patients need a series. Lasers have a role too, but a narrower one than most people think, which I explain in my acne laser treatment in Seoul guide.

Breakouts I send elsewhere first

Some acne needs more than a clinic session, and I would rather say so than take your booking. These are the cases where I recommend ongoing medical care, sometimes alongside a session.

• Deep, painful nodules that come back in the same places.
• Acne that scars quickly, even from small spots.
• Sudden acne with irregular periods, unusual hair growth or other body changes.
• Acne while you are taking or starting prescription acne medication. Tell me first, because it changes what is safe to do.
• Skin that is raw from over-exfoliation. It needs rest before any extraction.

The goal is not a clear face for one photo. It is fewer new spots and fewer marks left behind.— Dr. Hyunji Kim, Delphic Clinic

Planning acne care on a short visit to Seoul

Book the session in the first two or three days of your stay. Any redness or small bruises then have time to settle before your flight, and if I suggest a second step, there is room for it.

These are our real prices for the acne session. International patients pay the same price as Korean patients.

What keeps it from coming back after you fly home

• A gentle, non-stripping cleanser twice a day, not five products at once.
• Non-comedogenic moisturiser and sunscreen every day.
• No picking. Most scars I see started with a spot squeezed at home.
• A local doctor for follow-up if you fall into any group in the list above.

If marks or pitted scars are already the bigger problem, that is a different plan, which I cover in my guide to acne scar treatment in Korea.

If you want your acne looked at properly, book a free 1:1 consultation at Delphic Clinic. English and Chinese interpreters are on site, locals and international patients pay the same price, and same-day treatment is possible. We are one minute from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 3.