Very diluted toxin in hundreds of tiny blebs just under the skin: less oil, smaller-looking pores and a smoother finish, without freezing your expressions.
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In Seoul, skin Botox costs a median of ₩132,000 (about $96) across 47 clinic listings this week, ranging from ₩44,000 to ₩300,000.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 유앤아이의원-목동점 | 첫방문)스킨보톡스 얼굴전체 1회 체험가 · VAT 포함First visit onlyTrial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩44,000 |
| 아윤의원 | 국산 스킨보톡스 풀페이스 _첫방문 1회 체험가 · VAT 포함First visit onlyTrial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩53,900 |
| 플래티넘의원 | 스킨보톡스 2cc (국산 1회 체험가) · VAT 포함Trial price | 2026-10-12 | ₩60,000 |
| Clinic | As listed | Seen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 뷰웰의원 | (청정 보톡스 하이톡스)스킨보톡스 4cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩64,900 |
| 디오레의원 | (강남언니X디오레의원)스킨보톡스 (뉴럭스) 2cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩64,900 |
| 아비쥬의원-청량리점 | 국산 스킨보톡스 3cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩75,900 |
| 올리팅성형외과의원 | 올리팅 스킨보톡스 2cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩77,000 |
| 플레저성형외과의원 | 스킨보톡스 (얼굴전체) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩79,000 |
| 더조이의원 | 국산 얼굴전체 스킨보톡스 (하이톡스) 5cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩79,000 |
| 유픽의원-홍대점 | 풀페이스 스킨보톡스 (국산) · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩86,900 |
| 유메이비의원 | 스킨보톡스 (얼굴 전체) 국산 · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩90,000 |
| 피아프의원 | 스킨보톡스_뉴럭스_3cc · VAT 포함 | 2026-10-12 | ₩99,000 |
1 session × ₩132,000, lasting about 3 months. Korean clinics say the effect is felt for about 1–2 months and fades by 3–4 months; in studies oil stayed lower for 3 months and was back to normal by 16 weeks.
Uses this week's Seoul median and the typical duration from studies. Other treatments use their midpoint duration and usual first course.
In a 2025 trial the intradermal wheals were gone within 2 hours, though Korean clinic aftercare sheets warn faint bumps or needle marks can linger for a few days.
Rows of small raised blebs where the toxin went in, with a little redness.
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.
In the first half of your trip. Wheals settle within hours, and results start at about 3–7 days, so on a week-long trip you'll see it begin before you fly.
Flying is fine. Avoid pressing or massaging your face for 4 hours, so don't plan to sleep face-down on a flight right after.
One visit is the whole treatment. It fades in about 1–4 months, and repeats should be at least 3 months apart, so it suits a quarterly or twice-yearly Seoul trip.
Korean clinics often combine it with a hydrating HA booster (물광) or PRP in the same visit. If you're also having regular Botox, make sure the total dose is counted together.
Skin botox leaves no wound for the sun to mark, so season barely changes the result. The best timing is spring, so it peaks as Seoul's humid, oily summer starts; winter is fine but it won't fix dryness.
This week's median across 47 Seoul clinic listings is about ₩132,000 for one full face with a Korean brand, with a range of ₩44,000–₩300,000. Prices depend on how many cc and units you get, and Xeomin often costs about twice as much as standard Korean brands.
Regular Botox goes into the muscle to stop it creasing the skin, so it smooths frown and forehead lines. Skin botox is much more diluted and sits in the skin itself, so it targets oil, pores and fine texture and shouldn't change your expressions. See our Botox guide for frown and forehead lines.
It can make skin look smoother and less shiny, which reads as glassy. It doesn't add moisture: the meta-analysis found no real effect on hydration. For a dewy, hydrated look, a hyaluronic acid booster (물광주사) does that job, and clinics often combine the two.
Most people notice it for about 1–2 months, with the best result at 2–3 weeks. Some clinics and studies report effects up to 3–4 months.
It can if the toxin goes too deep or too much is placed near the mouth. In one study some people had a weaker or uneven smile for about 2 weeks to 2 months, and one person for about 4 months. Ask for a careful, superficial technique around the mouth.
Xeomin, like Korea's Coretox, has no complexing proteins, and reviews link that to lower antibody risk, which matters because skin injections trigger more antibodies than muscle injections. The evidence is not conclusive, and much of it comes from maker-funded experts. Keeping sessions at least 3 months apart matters for every brand.
Yes. Just don't press or massage your face for 4 hours, and skip saunas and alcohol for several days, as Korean clinics advise.
| Skin Botox (스킨보톡스) | Regular Botox | HA booster (물광) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | Dermis, in hundreds of tiny blebs | Into the muscle, a few points | Dermis, many small injections |
| Main job | Less oil, smaller-looking pores, smoother finish | Smooths frown and forehead lines | Hydration and dewy glow |
| Changes expressions? | No, if kept superficial | Yes, that's how it works | No |
| Hydration | No significant effect in the meta-analysis | No | Yes, that's the point |
| Typical plan | One session, repeat after 3+ months | One session every 3–4 months | 3 sessions, 2–3 weeks apart |
| Seoul price this week | ₩132,000 | ₩29,000 | — |
Sebaceous glands and sweat glands receive signals through acetylcholine, the same messenger toxin blocks at muscles. Placed in the skin, diluted toxin is thought to turn down oil output, which makes pores look smaller and skin smoother.
A 2024 meta-analysis in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open pooled 10 studies (153 people, mostly women, average age 41). Oil, pore size, wrinkles, redness, texture and a lifting effect all improved significantly, but hydration did not. All five randomised trials had a moderate risk of bias, results varied a lot, and no outcome reached the sample size the authors wanted, so they called for larger trials.
In a 2013 study of 25 people with oily foreheads, oil stayed lower at 1 week and 1, 2 and 3 months, and 91% were satisfied. A 2015 randomised study found oil fell at the injection site but rose slightly in the skin around it, and was back to normal by 16 weeks.
Dilution varies widely. A 2023 expert roundtable (funded by Merz and AbbVie) describes about 20 units per mL for the face, droplets of 0.01–0.05 mL on a 1 cm grid, and up to 500 injections for a full face. Korean clinics typically use 2–4cc with about 10–20 units per cc.
Depth is the main safety issue. In a 2023 Brazilian study that combined standard toxin with about 100 skin microdroplets, some people had a smaller or uneven smile for about 2 weeks to 2 months, and in one case about 4 months. The roundtable warns that too much volume per point or too deep an injection causes drooping and asymmetry.
Toxin in the skin meets more immune cells than toxin in muscle. A 2025 Thai study found higher antibody levels after skin injections, though still below the levels linked to toxin stopping working. In a Korean survey of 673 injectors, 53.9% had seen resistance. Xeomin and Korea's Coretox have no complexing proteins, which reviews link to lower antibody risk, but spacing sessions at least 3 months apart matters for every brand.
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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.