Fractional laser resurfacing for acne scars, pores, texture and sun damage. Real results, and the most downtime of anything on this site.
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Our estimate for Fraxel in Seoul is about ₩250,000 (about $181); live listings are still thin.
We have 6 Korean listings so far. This median is an estimate from published 2026 guides until we have at least 5 prices from 3 clinics.
Seoul prices are event listings on Gangnam Unni's Korean app, VAT included. Many are first-visit or trial deals, clinics can show foreigners different prices, and the tourist VAT refund ended in 2025. How Korean clinic prices work →
None of the 2 listings shown is marked as a first-visit or trial deal. How Korean clinic prices work →
| Clinic | As listed | Seen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 미케이의원 | 프락셀 얼굴전체 1회 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩107,800 |
| 루비의원 | 듀얼프락셀(얼굴전체) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩149,000 |
3 sessions × ₩250,000, lasting about 24 months. Scar improvement from new collagen is long-lasting: 61% still reported improvement 3 years after 2–3 CO2 sessions, while sun-damage and texture gains fade sooner without sun protection and yearly top-ups.
Uses this week's Seoul median and the typical duration from studies. Other treatments use their midpoint duration and usual first course.
Non-ablative Fraxel means about 4–7 days of redness, bronzing and flaking; in a Seoul CO2 study people needed 14.6–17 days before going out and working normally.
Face is hot, red and flushed, like a sunburn, with a fine grid of tiny dots from the laser columns. With Fraxel the burning usually eases in 1–3 hours. CO2 is redder and may ooze a little clear fluid.
AI-generated models, not real patients. Effects are illustrated to show typical healing; everyone heals differently. Pick a face like yours, then hover or tap the photo to zoom.
Your first or second day, and only if you have 7+ days left in Seoul. For CO2, allow 10–14 days.
At least 7 days for Fraxel, so the peeling is done. At least 10–14 days for CO2, since crusts can take 1–2 weeks to shed.
One session gives a visible texture boost, but acne scars usually need 4–6 sessions weeks apart. Think of it as a long-stay or repeat-trip treatment, or start in Seoul and continue at home.
Keep it simple: no peels, scrubs or other surface treatments while the skin heals, unless the doctor plans a combination on purpose.
Fraxel's maker asks for SPF 30+ and no direct sun for 3 months after the last session. In Seoul, that window only misses the UV 7–10 months if your last session is between October and December, which is why Korean dermatologists steer lasers to autumn and winter.
Our estimate is about ₩250,000 for a full-face session. Treat it as a rough guide: most Seoul listings named 프락셀 are pico-fractional or cheeks-only (나비존) deals, which aren't the same treatment, so we've found only 2 genuine full-face listing so far. In the US, ASPS's 2020 averages were about US$1,445 for non-ablative and US$2,509 for ablative resurfacing.
Fraxel (1550 nm) is non-ablative: it heats columns of skin without removing the surface, so you get a few days of redness, bronzing and flaking. CO2 is ablative: it vaporises tiny columns of skin, so you get oozing and crusts for 1–2 weeks and pink skin for weeks after. CO2 tends to give stronger scar results, with more pain and a higher risk of dark marks.
Honestly, it's hard. Only book Fraxel with at least 7 days left before your flight, and CO2 with 10–14. You'll look red, then bronzed and flaky, and you need to stay out of the sun.
Usually 3–6, and 4–6 for acne scars. For acne scars, Fraxel 1550 is typically done every 4–8 weeks. Korean clinics often space CO2 sessions 3–4 weeks apart. Darker skin types do better with longer gaps.
It can be, with care. Dark marks (PIH) are the main risk, higher with CO2 and with high treatment density. Tell the doctor if you tan easily or get dark marks; ask about lower density, a pigment-prevention cream and strict sun protection.
Healing skin burns and pigments easily, and Fraxel recommends avoiding direct sun for at least 3 months. Strong summer UV and sweat make that very hard, so autumn and winter are the best seasons.
Usually 2–6 weeks of fading pinkness after the crusts shed. A Korean dermatologist notes it can occasionally last 6 months to a year, especially with rosacea, though it usually returns to normal.
After Fraxel, mineral makeup from about day 4–5. After CO2, from about day 10, once the crusts have shed. Ask your clinic, since settings vary.
| Fraxel (non-ablative) | CO2 fractional (ablative) | Potenza (RF microneedling) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Heats tiny columns under an intact surface | Vaporises tiny columns of skin | Needles carry RF heat into the dermis |
| Results for acne scars | Good, over a course | Strongest of the three in trials | Good, slightly behind CO2 |
| Downtime | About 3–7 days: redness, bronzing, flaking | About 1–2 weeks of crusting, pink for 2–6 weeks | About 1–2 days of redness |
| Pain | Less than CO2 | Highest: about 2 points more than RF microneedling (0–10) | Moderate with numbing |
| Dark-mark (PIH) risk | Low; rises with treatment density | Highest: about 4x RF microneedling in scar trials | Lower than CO2 |
| Seoul price this week | ₩250,000 | — | ₩192,500 |
Fractional lasers work by fractional photothermolysis: instead of treating the whole surface, the laser makes thousands of microscopic columns of injury, called microscopic thermal zones. The untouched skin between the columns heals the wounds quickly, and the injury triggers new collagen.
Non-ablative Fraxel (1550 nm) heats columns of skin without removing the surface, so healing is faster. Ablative CO2 (10,600 nm) vaporises the columns, including the outer skin layer, which has to regrow. That is why CO2 means oozing and crusts, and more downtime and risk.
A 2025 meta-analysis of 7 studies (186 cases) found ablative lasers scored better for acne scars in both doctor and patient ratings, while non-ablative lasers had fewer side effects, less pain and shorter redness. A 2026 meta-analysis of 8 trials found fractional CO2 beat RF microneedling for scars, but with about 4.4 times the risk of dark marks, 2 more points of pain out of 10 and nearly 2 extra days of redness.
Dark marks (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, PIH) are the main risk for Asian and darker skin. In a split-face trial of 40 Asian patients after fractional CO2, 75% developed PIH on the untreated side versus 40% on the side given a strong steroid cream for two days. With non-ablative 1550 nm, one large series saw PIH in 0.73% of 961 treatments, and reviews find higher treatment density raises the risk.
For darker skin, expert guidance for Fraxel is lower density, longer gaps between sessions (6–8 weeks), strict sun protection and sometimes a bleaching cream before and after. Several authors advocate hydroquinone before and after, though studies proving it prevents laser PIH are still limited.
Resurfacing can reactivate cold sores. Clinics often give an antiviral tablet starting the day before, especially for CO2; tell the doctor if you get cold sores.
See instantly if it's the Korean price or the tourist price.
General information for travellers, not medical advice. A doctor should assess you before any treatment. Prices are Korean-consumer event prices collected from public listings; clinics may charge differently on the day.