Inside a Korean skin clinic treatment room: a combined lifting session

What actually happens in a Korean skin clinic treatment room?

Hello, I'm Dr. Won Woo Choi, a board-certified dermatologist (M.D., Ph.D.) and Chief Director at WELLS Clinic in Apgujeong, Seoul. I trained at Seoul National University Hospital, where I am now an adjunct professor of dermatology. Patients planning a trip often ask me what really happens once they walk into a Korean skin clinic treatment room, especially for a lifting session that combines two devices.

The short answer: at WELLS, the room is where a plan already made at consultation is carried out by the same dermatologist. We analyse your face first, you see the genuine tip opened in front of you, you stay awake with non-sedation Air NOX, and the energy and handpiece pressure are adjusted as we go.

Below I walk you through it in order, using the combined Ultherapy and Thermage session I discussed in a newspaper interview as the example.

What I told Dong-A Edu about combining two lifting devices

In September 2025 I spoke with Dong-A Edu (동아일보 교육) for an article on autumn skin care. Autumn brings the driest air of the year in Seoul, and skin tends to lose moisture, firmness and volume at once. Collagen in the dermis is what holds all three, and it is not something you can manage with home care alone.

Skin concerns are usually mixed rather than single, so combining two lifting treatments that act at different depths often satisfies patients more than one. The article described focused ultrasound working deep to tighten and lift, and Thermage FLX radiofrequency working across the whole face to firm the skin and soften fine lines and a loosening jawline.

For thin, sensitive areas such as around the eyes and mouth, dedicated tips allow treatment to be done carefully.

What does the clinic around the treatment room look like?

First-time visitors are often surprised that a Korean skin clinic treatment room is only one stop in a longer route through the clinic. WELLS takes up the 8th floor of the Apgujeong Building, with a reception, private lounges, consultation rooms and laser rooms on the same floor.

You check in at the front desk, wait in the lounge, then sit down with the dermatologist in a consultation room. Only after the plan and the price are confirmed do you move to the treatment room. That order is deliberate: nothing starts until you have agreed to it.

• Language: English, Chinese and Japanese interpreters on staff, plus an in-house AI interpreter app for other languages
• Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00, lunch 13:00–14:00
• Access: Line 3 Apgujeong Station, Exit 3, about five minutes on foot
• Parking: underground self-parking in the Apgujeong Building

If you arrive with questions you forgot to send on WhatsApp, ask them in the consultation room rather than on the treatment bed. It is easier to change a plan before the numbing cream goes on than after.

Step 1: Is your face analysed before the device comes out?

Yes. At WELLS we diagnose first and treat second. Before lifting, we run a 3D skin analysis, and for Thermage MAX we add a skin-microbiome test. The results decide your plan.

For Ultherapy, treatment is planned with 3D imaging and an individualized treatment map. Most of our patients are satisfied with 300–400 shots; only about 2% of WELLS patients need 600 or more. That is why I would be cautious about any plan that starts from a large shot count rather than from your face.

The analysis also gives you something concrete to discuss. Instead of hearing that you need a certain number of shots, you look at your own face with the dermatologist and see where the plan puts energy and why. If anything in the plan surprises you, that is the moment to ask.

Step 2: How do you know the tip is genuine?

In my interview I advised readers to check that a clinic uses genuine tips. At WELLS, only genuine Thermage and Ultherapy tips are used. If a tip is ever found not to be genuine, we refund ten times the treatment price.

Because you are awake for the session, you can see the tip and the shot count yourself. WELLS is also a Merz Ultherapy Golden Record Award clinic, and every Ultherapy session runs on the Ultherapy Prime system.

Step 3: Will you be asleep in the treatment room?

No. WELLS does not use deep sedation for lifting. Air NOX, a controlled mix of oxygen and nitrous oxide, is used with local anesthetic. You stay awake, no fasting is needed, you recover within about two minutes and you can drive afterwards.

Staying awake matters for safety. Ultherapy's own guidelines don't recommend deep sedation. Under sedation you can't give feedback, so energy tends to be pushed higher, raising burn risk.

For Thermage, which creates a hot, stinging feeling, we also use numbing cream and a collagen booster serum during treatment to ease it.

Step 4: How are energy and pressure adjusted during the session?

This is the part of a Korean skin clinic treatment room you cannot see from a brochure. The dermatologist holds the handpiece, follows the map drawn from your 3D analysis, and adjusts energy and pressure for each area. Thin skin near the eyes and mouth is handled differently from the cheek.

If the upper face is the main concern, we have a separate protocol, 3X Upper Face Lifting, combining Eye Thermage (450 shots), EMFACE (2 passes) and Eye Ultherapy (50 shots) for the forehead, brow and eyelids, at ₩2,500,000 (VAT excluded).

What do the lifting treatments cost at WELLS?

All prices are in Korean won and exclude 10% VAT. The dermatologist confirms your plan and the final price at consultation, before anything starts.

Whether you need both, and which comes first, is decided at consultation. Lifting devices act on different layers, so combinations are common. See Thermage MAX, Ultherapy Prime, and my comparison of Thermage vs Ultherapy.

After the session: leaving the treatment room

There is no incision. You leave with the dermatologist's aftercare instructions and can reach us on WhatsApp afterwards. After Thermage, changes typically begin to show about two weeks after treatment, and results vary from person to person.

WELLS is on the 8th floor of the Apgujeong Building, five minutes from Apgujeong Station Exit 3. You can read about my background on my doctor page.

Results and recovery vary by individual. Every treatment carries possible side effects, which are explained at the consultation. Prices are in Korean won, excluding 10% VAT, and confirmed at your consultation. This article is general information from the clinic, not a diagnosis.

Written by

Dr. Won Woo Choi

Medical Director · M.D., Ph.D. · WELLS Clinic, Apgujeong

• Board-certified dermatologist in Korea; trained at Seoul National University Hospital
• Dermatology residency, Seoul National University Hospital; board certification in dermatology in Korea
• Ph.D. in Dermatology, Seoul National University
• Former clinical instructor, Seoul National University Hospital
• Adjunct professor, Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital

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