A painless German ultrasound facial for hydration and calm, sensitive skin. Called "lifting" in Korea, but it doesn't lift.
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In Seoul, LDM costs a median of ₩66,000 (about $48) across 37 clinic listings this week, ranging from ₩25,000 to ₩990,000.
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 →
6 of the 12 listings shown are promotions (first visit, trial price or once per person). A repeat or regular booking usually costs more. How Korean clinic prices work →
| Clinic | As listed | Seen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 올리움의원 | LDM 수분보습 6분(첫방문) · VAT 포함First visit only | 2026-10-05 | ₩25,000 |
| 루비성형외과의원 | LDM_(1회 체험가) · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩30,000 |
| 벨뷰의원 | LDM 관리(8분기준) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩31,900 |
| Clinic | As listed | Seen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 리엔장의원-목동점 | LDM 물방울리프팅 (6분 체험가) · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩31,900 |
| 유앤아이의원-잠실점 | 첫방문) LDM (수분, 재생, 진정 중 택) 1회 체험가 · VAT 포함First visit onlyTrial price | 2026-10-05 | ₩33,000 |
| 자라다의원 | LDM Med-Tri 6분 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩35,000 |
| 브이에스(VS)라인의원-압구정점 | LDM관리 6분(진정팩+LED포함) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩44,000 |
| 강남올샤인의원 | 화, 수, 목요일 한정_ 스마트 LDM 8분+LED+시트팩 1회 · VAT 포함Set days or times | 2026-10-12 | ₩45,000 |
| 더조이의원 | LDM 6분 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩50,000 |
| 나를의원 | 수분+탄력+재생 LDM 1회체험 · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩55,000 |
| 마인성형외과의원 | LDM 물방울 리프팅 (얼굴전체) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩60,000 |
| 리앤클의원 | LDM 10분 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩60,000 |
8 sessions × ₩66,000, lasting about 1 month. The redness and hydration gains were still there 2 weeks after the last session, and clinics suggest maintenance every 2–8 weeks, so expect weeks, not months.
Uses this week's Seoul median and the typical duration from studies. Other treatments use their midpoint duration and usual first course.
Nothing visible: clinics say makeup and normal plans straight away, and studies report no downtime.
No marks, no swelling. Skin can look slightly fresher. Sensitive skin may go faintly pink for a short while. Makeup is fine straight away.
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.
Any day, even your last. There's nothing to recover from. If you're having a laser, book LDM straight after it as an add-on.
No gap needed. You can fly the same day.
One session is a nice extra, not a result. The effects clinics describe come from a course of 5–10 or more sessions at 1–2 a week, so a two-week stay could fit a few sessions; a long weekend fits one.
Most useful as an add-on: Korean clinics often add LDM after a laser, lifting or skin-booster treatment to soothe the skin. After Botox or filler, clinics suggest doing LDM first or waiting at least a week.
LDM leaves no wound to protect, so any month works. It's most useful in autumn and winter, as a calming add-on in Seoul's laser season and when the air is driest. The evidence is small and partly co-authored by the maker.
No. The name refers to the claimed hydration effect. Korean clinic guides say it does not lift facial contours; for that, look at HIFU like Shurink or Ultherapy.
This week's median across 37 Seoul clinic listings is about ₩66,000 a session, with a range of ₩25,000–₩990,000. Many are short add-on sessions. Price depends heavily on session length (commonly 6–24 minutes), so always ask how many minutes you're getting. In Singapore, clinics charge S$209–418 a session.
Korean clinics say effects build over 5–10 or more sessions at 1–2 a week, with maintenance every 2–8 weeks after that. One session on a trip is a pleasant extra, not a result.
No. You can wear makeup straight away. Sensitive skin may go faintly pink for a short time. Skip saunas and hot yoga for 48 hours and exfoliating acids for 3 days.
Yes, that's one of its most common uses in Korea: clinics add it after a laser, lifting or booster treatment to soothe the skin. After Botox or filler, clinics suggest having LDM first or waiting at least a week.
It's one of the better reasons to try it, but the evidence is small: one uncontrolled study of 26 people found less redness after 4 weekly sessions with a similar device. It isn't a substitute for seeing a dermatologist about rosacea.
It's a low-heat, non-invasive treatment and the studies report no significant side effects, but none looked at results by skin tone. Tell the clinic your skin type anyway.
| LDM | Shurink (HIFU) | Rejuran | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Low-heat, high-frequency ultrasound over the skin surface | Focused ultrasound heat, down to 4.5 mm (the SMAS layer) | Salmon-DNA polynucleotide injections |
| Main job | Soothing, hydration, calming redness | Tightening the jaw and cheeks | Skin quality and glow |
| Lifts contours? | No | Yes, subtly | No |
| Visible downtime | None | Mild redness or swelling for 1–3 days | Bumps for about a day |
| When you see it | Builds over 5–10+ sessions | From 3–4 weeks, best around 3 months | Days, builds over a course |
| Seoul price this week | ₩66,000 | ₩99,000 | ₩209,000 |
LDM (Local Dynamic Micromassage) is Wellcomet's name for ultrasound that switches rapidly between two or three frequencies. Higher frequencies stay shallow: the maker says 10 MHz acts almost only in the epidermis and dermis (about 3 mm), while 3 MHz reaches about 1 cm. Wellcomet claims this changes how the skin handles collagen-breaking enzymes, heat-shock proteins and hyaluronan, and that it frees bound water in tissue.
The Korean name, 물방울 리프팅 or "water-drop lifting", comes from that hydration claim. Korean clinic guides say plainly that it does not lift facial contours the way Ultherapy or Thermage aim to.
The strongest facial data is for inflammation. A 2021 Seoul study of 26 people with rosacea or acne, using a similar dual-frequency ultrasound device from another German maker, found less redness and better barrier function after 4 weekly sessions. It had no control group and was sponsored by the device maker.
A 2025 study of 22 acne patients treated with triple-frequency LDM reported about 74% improvement by the end of treatment and 90% at follow-up. It was retrospective, had no control group, and one author is Wellcomet's CEO.
On recovery: a 2024 study found that patients given daily LDM for 5 days after nose surgery had swelling for about 1.9 days, versus 4.5 days with ice packs (24 patients per group, retrospective; one author works for Wellcomet). A small 2015 split-body study after fat-dissolving injections found less pain but no difference in swelling or bruising. There's no trial on recovery after cosmetic lasers specifically.
In short: a plausible, low-risk treatment with small, early studies for redness and swelling. There's no good evidence that it lifts or reverses ageing.
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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.