Italian microwave contouring that Seoul clinics use on the lower face: warm, needle-free and quick, but the facial evidence is thin and overdoing it can hollow the cheeks.
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In Seoul, Onda lifting costs a median of ₩329,450 (about $239) across 25 clinic listings this week, ranging from ₩219,000 to ₩528,000.
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 →
3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 압구정리앤스타의원 | 온다리프팅 60kj 1회 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩219,000 |
| 디오레의원 | 페이스 온다 60kj · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩242,000 |
| 청담디어의원 | 얼굴온다60kj · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩250,000 |
| Clinic | As listed | Seen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 원더풀성형외과의원 | 온다 리프팅 60KJ · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩270,000 |
| 엔디어트의원 | 체험가)온다리프팅 60KJ · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩275,000 |
| 뷰웰의원 | 온다리프팅 6만줄 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩275,000 |
| 오블리주의원 | 온다리프팅 6만줄 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩295,000 |
| 더왈츠의원 | (1회 체험가) 페이스 온다 60KJ · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩299,000 |
| 이고의원 | 첫방문 1회 얼굴 온다리프팅 6만줄 · VAT 포함First visit only | 2026-10-05 | ₩299,000 |
| 더나의원 | 온다리프팅 60kJ · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩317,400 |
| 뽀송의원 | 온다 페이스 리프팅 60KJ 1회 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-05 | ₩319,000 |
| 미오의원 | 7mm 페이스 온다 60kJ · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩328,900 |
3 sessions × ₩329,450, lasting about 7 months. One Seoul clinic says a single session holds for about 2 months and a 3-session course for about 6–12 months; a body study still saw results at one year, but no face study has followed people that long.
Uses this week's Seoul median and the typical duration from studies. Other treatments use their midpoint duration and usual first course.
Pink, warm skin that settles within hours in Seoul clinic reports; any tenderness or mild swelling usually goes within a few days and is rarely visible.
Skin looks pink and feels warm, sometimes a little puffy. Most people go straight back to their day.
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 of your trip, even the last. There's usually nothing to hide after a few hours.
Flying the same or next day is fine. Clinics ask you to skip saunas and hot baths for about 24 hours and direct sun for about 2 days.
One session gives only a small change. The studied protocols used 2–6 sessions 2–4 weeks apart, so it suits a longer stay or repeat visits better than a single short trip.
Seoul clinics often pair it with a HIFU lift like Shurink, or with an RF treatment, in the same visit. For a thick double chin, some add a fat-dissolving injection.
Onda leaves no wound, so any season works. The only real rules are 2 days out of direct sun and a day without saunas, which are hardest to keep in a Seoul summer.
This week's median across 25 Seoul clinic listings is about ₩329,450 for 60kJ, with a range of ₩219,000–₩528,000. Clinics' listed regular prices run higher (median ₩490,000), and several 60kJ listings are first-visit offers. A US med spa charges US$600–700 per face area.
Not for what Seoul clinics use it for. The US 510(k) clearances we found for El.En.'s 2.45 GHz system cover tissue heating for pain, muscle spasm and circulation, and a temporary improvement in the look of cellulite. Fat reduction and facial tightening aren't in that wording.
Yes, if it's overdone. Korean doctors and clinics warn that too much energy on a naturally slim face, or on the cheeks, can remove fat you wanted to keep and leave a sunken look. Ask for a lighter dose and to leave the side cheeks out if your face is already slim.
Clinics usually suggest 3–5 sessions 2–4 weeks apart. The studies under the chin used two sessions a month apart, or six sessions two weeks apart, with results measured 12 weeks after the last one.
Most people feel strong warmth rather than pain, and numbing usually isn't used. Both face studies reported minimal discomfort. Bony spots can feel hotter; tell the operator if a spot burns.
Onda and InMode FX both aim to reduce fat without needles and need a course. HIFU (Shurink, Ultherapy) lifts from deeper down rather than slimming. A deoxycholic acid injection like Kybella or V-Olet is the best-proven way to remove fat under the chin, but brings several days of swelling.
| Onda | InMode FX | Shurink / Ultherapy (HIFU) | Fat-dissolving injection | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | 2.45 GHz microwaves with contact cooling | RF heat, suction and high-voltage pulses | Focused ultrasound | Deoxycholic acid (Kybella in the US, V-Olet in Korea) |
| Main job | Reduce fat and tighten skin | Kill fat cells under the chin and jaw | Lift, down to the SMAS layer | Destroy fat under the chin |
| Needles | No | No | No | Yes |
| Typical course | 3–5 sessions, 2–4 weeks apart | 3–6 sessions, 1–2 weeks apart | One session; repeat every 6–12 months | Up to 6, at least a month apart |
| Downtime | Hours of warmth; mild tenderness | Same-day makeup; possible bruising and swelling for days | Little to none | Swelling and soreness for several days |
| Seoul price this week | ₩329,450 | ₩108,900 | ₩99,000 | — |
Microwaves at 2.45 GHz heat tissue by making water molecules vibrate. DEKA says its Coolwaves are preferentially absorbed in fat, heating fat cells until the body's clean-up cells (macrophages) remove them, while the heat also shrinks and remodels collagen. A tip cooled to about 5 °C protects the skin, and the protocol keeps the surface under 40–41 °C.
The face evidence is small. In an Italian study, 48 people had six 10-minute sessions two weeks apart under the chin: fat scores fell from 3.4 to 1.7 and laxity from 3.7 to 2.4 at 12 weeks, 70% were satisfied, and no side effects were seen. One of the two authors works for the maker's group. A second study treated 10 women (average age 56) twice, a month apart, with the Pocket handpiece; laxity improved from 3.6 to 2.3 out of 4.
DEKA's own advisory board (2024) says the standard Deep and Shallow handpieces should not be used on the head and neck except under the chin, from 1.5 cm below the jawline, to avoid the marginal mandibular nerve and the vessels along the jaw. The newer Pocket handpiece is marketed for the face, but no published study has tested it on cheeks or jowls.
Hollowing is the main facial risk. A Korean dermatologist explains that when heat meant for tightening reaches the fat layer, fat shrinks and the area can look sunken, most visibly on fatty cheeks and in people with thin faces or thin skin. Filler can restore volume if it persists.
In the US, El.En.'s 2.45 GHz system with Deep, Shallow and Pocket handpieces is 510(k)-cleared (2021, updated April 2026) for heating tissue to relieve pain and muscle spasm and boost circulation, and for a temporary improvement in the look of cellulite. Fat reduction and face tightening are not in the cleared wording.
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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.