What It’s Like Getting Professional Skin Treatments in Seoul, SOuth Korea!
Hi, I’m Ella: skincare nerd, sunscreen evangelist, and someone who willingly let a stranger in South Korea stick needles and lasers into her face. All in the name of good skin.
This is the deep dive you didn’t know you needed.
Why Seoul?
When my boyfriend told me he was invited to a wedding in Wuhan, China, my first thought wasn’t “how sweet,” it was: “If I’m flying halfway across the world, we are absolutely stopping in Seoul.”
Because if you know, you know—Seoul is basically Disneyland for people who treat their skincare routine like a full-time job.
The Travel Deets (Because I Know You’ll Ask)
Flights: We flew from Phoenix → Hong Kong (few days there), then Hong Kong → Wuhan (wedding things), and then finally Wuhan → Seoul. All in? About $1,500 for flights.
Where we stayed: An Airbnb in Myeongdong. Super central, felt safe, walkable, and it was only $50/night (linking it here because it was a gem).
Transport in Seoul: Public transportation is top-tier, but listen closely: Google Maps is NOT your friend here. Download the Naver app before you go or you’ll be wandering around confused.
Phone Setup: I used an eSIM from Airalo. It worked flawlessly and saved me from the international plan struggle.
The Clinic I Chose: LaMiche Dermatology
I did a PhD’s worth of research. (Okay, Reddit threads and TikToks, but still.)
After stalking every Seoul skincare video ever posted, LaMiche Dermatology kept coming up. What sold me? They actually provide interpreters. And if someone is going to zap my face with lasers, I want to understand exactly what they’re saying before they do it.
I slid into their DMs on Instagram and booked an appointment ahead of time because I was not about to risk getting turned away.
📍 LaMiche Dermatology – Songpa District, Seoul
🗓 I booked my treatment for the last full day in Seoul—important because your face will puff up like a sad balloon and sun exposure = bad.
What It’s Like When You Arrive
The entire building is LaMiche. You walk in, show your passport, and they give you a wristband (think: spa meets hospital energy). No idea what the number was for—maybe so they don’t mix me up with someone getting fillers in their armpits—but it felt official.
Step 1: Skin Analysis
Someone gently cleanses your face and then puts you into this little photography machine that scans your entire soul (just kidding, it just takes terrifyingly detailed pictures of your skin).
Step 2: Consultation
I met with a dermatologist (via translator) who pulled up the scans like a teacher reviewing test scores. The verdict?
Sun damage
Hormonal acne on my chin
Clogged pores
Incoming sunspots that hadn’t even surfaced yet (the betrayal)
He recommended an aggressive but promising line-up of treatments...
The Treatments I Got (aka: My Face’s Bootcamp)
Here’s what was prescribed, with some very science-y descriptions straight from the paperwork:
💉 Ulthera
Collagen regeneration, tackles sagging skin, smooths wrinkles. Basically a face lift without the surgery.
💡 InMode
Uses radio frequency (sounds like sci-fi) to tighten skin and contour your face. Double chin? Never heard of her.
🔥 BBL (x2)
Broadband Light therapy to target acne, pigmentation, veins, and tighten everything.
💚 Excel V
Great for pigmentation, redness, and spider veins. Very chic.
✨ New Accolade
Targeting sun spots and freckles before they even show up to the party.
💦 Skin Botox
Not for movement, for glow. Supposedly smooths and brightens the skin surface.
💜 V-Olet
A fat-melting injectable that also stimulates collagen. Like a contour stick, but permanent.
The Process Itself
Here’s how the day went down:
Cleanse again
Extractions (yep, they got all up in there)
Numbing cream
Lasers (lots of them)
MORE numbing
Even MORE lasers
Injections and needles
Face: snatched. Soul: gone.
Post-Treatment Meds (My New Pharmacy Haul)
They sent me across the street to pick up prescription meds like it was no big deal. Here's what I left with:
Ciplus – Antibiotics to keep my raw, laser-blasted face infection-free
Isotinone – Basically Korean Accutane, and yes, they made it VERY clear: no babies allowed.
Cleocin-T – Spot treatment liquid for breakouts (lowkey obsessed)
Transamin – Pills to help with pigmentation and melasma
Recovery: Not Cute But Worth It
I was swollen, puffy, and couldn’t wear makeup for days. Picture me in Seoul wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and mystery bruises like I just came out of a boxing match.
And yet…I was glowing.
Now: Two Months Later
My skin has never looked better. My pores? Tiny. My texture? Smooth. My hormonal acne? Peace and blessings.
Would I do it again? Absolutely.
Do I recommend it? Only if you’re okay not understanding half of what’s being said and trusting the process anyway. It wasn’t personal—it was clinical—but it was effective AF.
Final Thoughts
Book LaMiche Dermatology in advance
Go on your last full day
Wear SPF like your life depends on it
Don’t expect spa vibes—it’s efficient and fast-paced
But you will leave looking like a filter
And yes, I also spent $800 at Olive Young, but that deserves its own blog post
Let me know if you want a downloadable packing list, product recs, or a Seoul skincare treatment checklist—I gotchu. And if you found this helpful (or horrifying), I’d love if you dropped a comment or shared it with your favorite skincare-obsessed friend.
