Korean Treatment for Pigmentation Cost: Name the Spot First, Then Price It

I'm Dr. Hyunji Kim, director and lead physician at Delphic Clinic in Gangnam, one minute from Sinnonhyeon Station. I came to aesthetic medicine from Korea University Medical Center, I am a member of the Korean Society for Laser Dermatology & Hair and the Korean Academy of Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Medicine, and laser work sits alongside lifting and anti-ageing at the centre of what I do. Korean treatment for pigmentation cost is a question I hear in some form almost every day, often from someone who has already paid for a treatment that did not match their spots.

That is the expensive mistake I want to help you avoid. The Korean treatment for pigmentation cost is not set by how dark a spot is, but by what kind of spot it is, because each type needs a different tool and a different number of visits. This page starts with a mirror check, then prices each route on our menu.

Three spot types, three different bills

Many faces have more than one type at once, which is exactly why a single price quoted over a message rarely holds. If you are not sure which you have, my guide on how to tell freckles from melasma is the place to start.

A mirror check before you ask for a quote

Stand by a window in daylight and answer these. Send the answers with a clear, unfiltered photo, and the quote you get back will be far more accurate.

• Are the spots small and scattered, or broad patches with blurred edges?
• Do they sit on both cheeks in a roughly matching pattern?
• Do they darken in summer or after stress, and fade a little in winter?
• Are they flat, or inside dents and rough texture left by acne?
• Have you had laser before, and did anything get darker afterwards?

Broad, symmetrical patches that change with the season lean towards melasma. Small, sharp-edged spots lean towards freckles or sun spots. Marks sitting inside uneven texture are a texture question as much as a colour one.

Toning by the session or by the five: the PicoSure lines

PicoSure is a 755nm picosecond laser that targets melanin selectively. On our menu, toning with a mask is ₩50,000 for one session or ₩250,000 for five, which is the same per-session price; the five-session line simply plans a course. The first-visit trial is ₩40,000, and Zoom Pass, a separate face line, is ₩150,000.

If PicoSure is the only line you are pricing, I go through its menu in more depth in my PicoSure Korea cost guide.

Where melasma injections enter the budget

For melasma, I avoid strong heat and work gently over several visits. The melasma injection combines tranexamic acid, which helps suppress melanin production, with PDRN to support regeneration, injected into the affected areas. It is ₩200,000 for 2cc and is often paired with gentle toning rather than used alone.

Why Korean doctors take this slower route, and what you do between visits, is laid out in my piece on Korean melasma treatment and going low and slow.

Pigment rewards patience and punishes force. I would rather you spend less per visit and come back than push hard once and pay for the rebound.— Dr. Hyunji Kim, Delphic Clinic

Fraxel lines for marks that sit in texture

When marks sit in rough or dented skin, colour treatment alone leaves the texture behind. Our menu has two full-face Fraxel lines, both with a soothing pack: Erbium Fraxel at ₩79,000 and Pico Fraxel at ₩150,000. Pico Fraxel is non-ablative and works from the deeper dermis while leaving the surface intact.

Choosing between toning and Fraxel is its own decision, and I compare them directly in PicoSure vs Fraxel: which laser suits which problem.

Pigment I'd rather you leave alone for now

• A spot that has changed shape, colour or size recently, or bleeds: that needs a medical check before any cosmetic treatment.
• Melasma during pregnancy or right after a big hormonal change, when it is likely to keep shifting.
• Skin that is sunburnt or freshly tanned from the trip so far.
• Anyone who cannot protect their skin from the sun for the weeks after treatment.

Spreading pigment care across repeat trips

1. 1

   First visit

   A doctor confirms the spot types and starts the gentlest route that fits. A first-visit trial price may apply to toning.

2. 2

   Between trips

   Daily sun protection and simple skin care do more for pigment than any single session. We send you home with clear rules.

3. 3

   Return visits

   We adjust the plan based on how your skin responded, adding or dropping lines rather than repeating a fixed package.

If you have done the mirror check and still aren't sure what your spots are, that is exactly what the consultation is for. In a free one-to-one consultation I will name the spot types, tell you which lines fit and what they cost, and tell you if something should be left alone. 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.