Your first visit to a Korean skin clinic: a checklist

What should I bring to a Korean dermatology clinic?

1. Your passport, for registration.
2. A payment card on a major international network, and a backup.
3. A list of medicines and supplements with generic names and doses, in English.
4. A record of past treatments: what, where and when, and for injectables the product name and amount.
5. Photos of your skin at its worst, if your concern comes and goes, such as acne or redness.
6. Sunscreen, ideally tinted, and a hat for the walk back to your hotel.
7. The message thread with the clinic, including the quote and the name of your doctor.

Come without makeup if there is any chance of treatment on the day; it saves cleansing time and lets the doctor see your skin as it is. If you wear contact lenses and are having treatment near the eyes, bring glasses.

What should I tell the doctor before treatment?

Some details change the plan, so say them even if nobody asks:

• Isotretinoin, now or in the past year. The traditional advice was to wait six months after stopping before procedures. A retrospective study of 511 patients treated during or soon after isotretinoin found no increase in serious reactions, and its authors question that rule^[1]. The doctor still decides, and needs to know.
• Cold sores. Herpes simplex outbreaks have been reported after fractional CO2 resurfacing, in 2 of 44 patients in one series^[2]. A history of cold sores can change what the doctor prescribes before a laser.
• Blood thinners and supplements. Tell the doctor about anything that affects bleeding before injections.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding. It changes which treatments the doctor will offer.
• Raised scars or keloids, and recent sunburn or a tan. The doctor may change the settings or the timing.
• Previous filler or threads in the area. Product, amount and date.
• Allergies, including to numbing creams, antibiotics or adhesive dressings.
• Your flight time. The doctor may choose a gentler option, or none, if you leave tomorrow.

What should I ask before I agree to treatment?

1. Who will perform the treatment, and which steps will a nurse or skin-care staff do?
2. Which device or product will be used, and how much: shots, units, cc or area?
3. What is the total price, and does it include VAT, numbing and aftercare products?
4. What is normal afterwards, and for how long?
5. When can I wash my face, wear makeup, exercise, use a sauna and fly?
6. Which signs mean I should contact you, and how do I reach you after hours?
7. Can I have the consent form and aftercare sheet in my language?

At a clinic registered for foreign patients, much of this should come to you anyway. The law requires a separate explanation of the diagnosis, treatment method and possible side effects; a treatment contract in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s form with the estimated cost; and information on how disputes are handled (foreign patient Act, Article 8, checked 2026-10-18). If you are not given these, ask for them.

Make sure the person interpreting for the consent conversation is trained. In recorded emergency department visits in the United States, 22% of errors by ad hoc interpreters, such as relatives, could have had clinical consequences, against 12% for professional interpreters^[3].

What happens on the day?

1. Registration and a medical history form.
2. A talk with a coordinator about your goals, schedule and budget.
3. The doctor’s examination and recommended plan.
4. A written estimate and a consent form.
5. Cleansing, and numbing cream if needed; ask how long it stays on.
6. The treatment.
7. Soothing care, such as a cooling mask.
8. Aftercare instructions, payment and the next appointment, if any.

Allow more time than the treatment itself. Registration, consultation, numbing and soothing care each add to the visit, so do not book a tour or a restaurant straight afterwards.

What should I take home from the clinic?

• The receipt (영수증) and itemised statement (세부내역서).
• The treatment contract and estimate.
• A record of the device and settings or shot count, or the product name, amount and, for injectables, the batch number if the clinic records it.
• The aftercare sheet, with the number of days for each restriction written on it.
• A named contact and a way to send photos from home.

These records matter most if something goes wrong after you leave. In a systematic review of complications after cosmetic surgery abroad, 589 patients presented with problems, most often infection^[4]. A doctor at home can act faster when they know exactly what was done. The aftercare guide lists the warning signs to watch for on the way home.

Which mistakes are easy to avoid?

• Booking a treatment with visible recovery on the last day of the trip.
• Leaving the medicine list in the hotel.
• Signing up for a package before trying a single session.
• Relying on a friend to interpret the consent conversation.
• Throwing away the receipt and treatment record before you are home.