Your first visit to a skin clinic in Seoul: what happens on the day, step by step

Booking a clinic from overseas is one thing; walking in on the day is another. If this is your first time at a clinic in Korea, the questions are usually practical ones. How long will I be there? Who do I talk to, and in which language? When does the numbing cream go on? What do I pay, and what happens once I am back home?

This guide follows one visit to LIV Plastic Surgery (LIV) from the front door to the follow-up message a week later. LIV is a non-surgical anti-aging clinic in Gangnam, one minute from Sinsa Station (Line 3, Exit 4) and next to Garosu-gil. The work here is lifting, botox, filler and skin boosters, and most of these treatments take 30 to 90 minutes with no hospitalization, so many patients are treated on the same day as their consultation. What you are treated with, and how much of it, is decided with the doctor at that consultation.

The day in six steps

1. Arrive. Sinsa Station, Line 3, Exit 4. The clinic is a one-minute walk away, on the 4th floor of the Jaeun Building. Routes from the airports are in the location page.
2. Consultation with the doctor. A board-certified plastic surgeon examines your skin in person and confirms, or adjusts, the plan you discussed by messenger. Consultations are available in English, Japanese and Chinese, and an interpreter is arranged free of charge if you ask for one when you book.
3. Preparation. Where a treatment uses a topical anesthetic cream, it goes on before the treatment and needs time to work — about 30 minutes for Ultherapy Prime. Some treatments need no anesthesia at all (table below).
4. Treatment. Between 10 and 90 minutes depending on what you are having.
5. Payment. You pay at the clinic, from the same published price list as Korean patients.
6. Aftercare instructions. Before you leave you receive a written aftercare guide in English, Japanese or Chinese.

Then you walk out. No hospital stay is involved, and for most treatments no second appointment either.

How long each treatment takes

These are the times and anesthesia methods listed on LIV's treatment pages. Add the consultation and any numbing time when you work out how long you will be at the clinic.

If you are combining two treatments in one visit, tell the clinic in advance so the appointment is long enough. Recovery times and what is known about flying afterwards are covered separately in the downtime and flight guide.

What to tell the clinic before you come

The clinic can only plan around what it knows. LIV's treatment pages and medical Q&A ask you to mention the following, ideally in your first messages rather than on the day:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Most cosmetic treatments are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The clinic recommends treatment after both are finished.
• A pacemaker. Thermage FLX is not performed on patients with a pacemaker.
• A metal implant in the treatment area. A consultation is needed first for Ultherapy Prime and Thermage FLX.
• A neuromuscular disorder. Botox is not performed.
• Inflammation, infection or a wound in the treatment area, or an underlying condition such as uncontrolled diabetes. The ONDA page asks you to mention these at the consultation; it is sensible to raise them for any treatment.
• Your flight times. Not a medical fact, but the clinic schedules around them.

None of this replaces the in-person consultation. It simply means the doctor is not hearing something important for the first time when you are already in the chair.

The consultation fee and how it is credited

A 1:1 consultation with the doctor costs KRW 10,000. If you go ahead with treatment on the same day, the fee is fully deducted from the treatment cost. You can also come for the consultation alone and decide later; the clinic's own Q&A says it is fine to take your time.

Two more points about money:

• No deposit. No deposit is required to reserve a consultation.
• Same price list. International patients pay from the same price list as Korean patients. There is no foreigner surcharge and no charge for language support or interpretation. Prices on the price list are per session and exclude VAT, and the final figure is confirmed after the consultation.

Paying on the day

The clinic accepts international cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay — and cash in Korean won (KRW). If you have a question about payment, raise it during the consultation or beforehand by messenger.

Checklist: before you fly, on the day, after you go home

After the treatment, the same evening

What you are asked to do depends on the treatment, and your written guide is the reference. A few examples from LIV's treatment pages: after botox, avoid alcohol and saunas on the day and do not massage the treated area; after filler, no massage or pressure on the area, and avoid strenuous exercise and saunas for 3 days; after a skin booster, avoid makeup and alcohol on the day and protect the skin from the sun. The fuller list, by treatment, is in the downtime and flight guide.

Follow-up after you fly home

Leaving Seoul does not end the contact. You send photos through your messenger or the live chat, the clinic reviews your progress and answers your questions, and you have the written aftercare guide to refer to. If something worries you, message with a photo rather than waiting.

Before you message

This is the general flow of a first visit. Which treatment suits you, how much of it, and what it costs are confirmed at the consultation with the doctor. To start, send your dates and a couple of photos through the international patients page, and see how to book as a foreigner for the booking steps and a first message you can copy.

This guide is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. Suitability and the final plan are decided at your in-person consultation. Prices are per session, exclude VAT, and are confirmed after consultation.