Korean Oxygen Facial: What Our LED O2 Derm Session Can Do, and What It Can't

I'm Dr. Hyunji Kim, director of Delphic Clinic in Gangnam, one minute from Sinnonhyeon Station. I trained through Korea University Medical Center and I'm a member of the Korean Academy of Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Medicine, the Korean Society for Laser Dermatology & Hair and the Korean Filler Society. Most of my day is lifting and laser, which is exactly why I care about what soothes skin afterwards.

A Korean oxygen facial comes up in my consultations every week, usually from visitors who saw a whipped white mask on social media. Most of them ask the same thing: does the oxygen actually do something, or is it just a nice feeling? This article answers that honestly, using the session we run at Delphic.

Where the oxygen in a Korean oxygen facial comes from

In our session the oxygen comes in three forms: a whipped mask that bubbles on the skin, an oxygen ampoule infused into the surface, and the LED O2 Derm device, which combines oxygen, anions and LED light. It is applied to the skin, not injected and not breathed in.

That matters for expectations. Topical oxygen works on how the surface feels and looks today, helping it feel calm, hydrated and fresh. It is not a way of delivering oxygen deep into tissue to rebuild it.

Our LED O2 Derm session, from whipping mask to modeling pack

1. 1

   Self-cleansing

   You wash your face at the clinic so we start on bare skin.

2. 2

   Oxygen bomb whipping mask

   A foaming mask that bubbles on the skin and lifts surface debris gently.

3. 3

   Vital oxygen ampoule infusion

   An oxygen ampoule is worked into the skin.

4. 4

   First pack, then LED O2 Derm

   A pack goes on, followed by the device that delivers oxygen, anions and LED care together.

5. 5

   Modeling pack and finishing

   A setting mask seals the session, then moisturiser and sun protection.

What an oxygen facial can do for your skin this week

• Calm skin that feels hot, tight or reactive.
• Soothe skin after a laser or peel, when stronger products would sting.
• Leave the surface feeling hydrated and looking fresher for a few days.
• Give a gentle, no-downtime option before a dinner or a flight.

What it cannot do, however good it feels

An oxygen facial will not fade brown spots, smooth acne scars, shrink pores in a lasting way or lift sagging skin. If any of those is your real complaint, a facial alone will leave you disappointed, however relaxing the hour was.

Where an oxygen facial sits among everything else called a Korean facial in Seoul, I explained in my clinic vs spa comparison. In short, it is a clinic-grade soothing treatment, not a corrective one.

I recommend an oxygen facial for how it calms skin, not for what it promises on social media. Used that way, it earns its place.— Dr. Hyunji Kim, Delphic Clinic

Pairing an oxygen facial with a laser visit

This is where I use it most. After toning, a GV laser session or a peel, the skin can feel warm and sensitive, and the LED O2 Derm session can be performed on that skin. Many visitors book a laser and the oxygen facial in the same trip for exactly this reason.

I wrote more broadly about which facial benefits fade quickly and which build up in my article on Korean facial benefits by skin concern. The calming effect of oxygen sits in the first group, which is why I time it around other treatments.

Oxygen, soothing or a hydration package: a quick chooser

If you want the glow for a particular date, my note on timing a Korean glass skin facial before an event is the more useful read.

When I would not book you an oxygen facial

• When your main concern is pigment, scars or sagging: the money is better spent on a treatment that targets it.
• When you have active, inflamed acne that needs medical treatment first.
• When you have an open wound, a fresh rash or an infection on the face.
• When you expect a single facial to change your skin long-term.

If you are curious about a Korean oxygen facial, come in for a free one-to-one consultation first. I will tell you whether oxygen is the right choice for your skin today, or whether something else would do more, and treatment can usually be done the same day. English and Chinese interpreters are on site, you pay the same price as a Korean patient, and we are one minute from Exit 3 of Sinnonhyeon Station.