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Dear Clinic · Guides · Acne Scars
An orientation for skin that has stopped breaking out

Acne Scar Guide for Cheongdam, Gangnam, Seoul

Four published lines carry every acne scar plan on this floor, and the shape of the marks on your own face decides which of them you are quoted for. This guide walks through the shapes, the order the work is staged in, how to prepare, and what the face looks like afterwards.

Release, needle energy and per-lesion work on one floor Every step carried on a listed line Open 365 days
Ask About Your Own Scars Start With the Shapes
Shape before device

The four acne scar shapes a Cheongdam plan is written around

An acne scar plan here is assembled from four listed lines: needle subcision for tethered scarring, Potenza RF microneedling with its standard tip, CureJet jet delivery, and CO2 or erbium work counted per lesion. Which of them appears on your quote is decided by scar shape, read on the EVE Muse scan before any device is named.
01

Ice-pick scarring

Narrow openings whose walls taper downward into a fine point. The width at the surface understates how far the defect travels, and that geometry is why surface energy alone tends to plateau on them.

02

Boxcar scarring

Round or oval depressions with steep sides and a flat floor, the edge staying sharp under raking light. Collagen has to be rebuilt against those walls before the rim softens.

03

Rolling scarring

Broad, soft-edged dips that make the cheek read as undulating in side light. Fibrous strands anchor the floor to tissue beneath it, so the surface cannot lift while the anchor holds.

04

Raised scarring

Thickened tissue standing proud of the skin around it, left where an inflamed lesion healed with too much repair. This one is reduced at its own footprint instead of across a field.

Ice-pick acne scar cross-section illustration
Narrow at the surface, deep in section — the shape that argues for combined work.
Boxcar acne scar cross-section illustration
Steep walls and a flat floor — the rim is what a course is judged on.

Most faces carry more than one shape at once, and a mixed field is the ordinary case instead of the exception. Where inflammation is still arriving, the scar conversation waits: fresh lesions are handled first on the hormonal acne page and through gland-targeted work described on the Agnes page. The device-level detail behind each line sits on the acne scar laser page and in the laser, pigment and acne hub.

Shape to listed line

What each acne scar shape asks the plan to change

The translation your director works from once the scan has separated tethered floors from steep-walled ones.

Scar shapeWhat has to change for it to improveLine it points toListed rate
RollingThe fibrous anchor beneath the floor is released so the surface can riseSubcision₩500,000 (≈ $355)
BoxcarDermal collagen is rebuilt against a steep wall until the rim reads softerPotenza, standard tip₩250,000 (≈ $180)
Mixed atrophic fieldSolution is driven through a scarred plane without a needle trackCureJet, full face₩500,000 (≈ $355)
RaisedThe standing tissue is taken down at its own footprintCO2 or erbium, counted per lesion₩10,000 (≈ $5)
Ice-pickDepth is addressed from below and above in the same courseRelease plus needle energy, with per-lesion work where a single opening justifies itCombined from the lines above

Ablative energy is charged per lesion on this floor, so a handful of standing marks is an inexpensive afternoon and a long list is not. Full-face ablative resurfacing is outside what is published here; where a scan points that way, your director says so instead of substituting a field of Potenza passes for it.

Order of operations

How an acne scar course is staged from release to polish

Stage 01

Release what is tethered

Where the scan finds anchored floors, a needle is passed under them so the depression can lift. Energy delivered over a scar still held down works against a mechanical problem it cannot solve.

Stage 02

Build collagen into the walls

Needle radiofrequency follows once the release has settled, and jet delivery is added to the same field where a scarred plane needs loosening without a needle track through it.

Stage 03

Finish standing marks individually

Raised or stubborn single lesions are taken last, one at a time, because a field treatment has no reason to carry the cost of points it was never going to flatten.

Between stages the face is re-photographed under the first scan's lighting and the plan is revised against what actually moved. Collagen laid down after a needle pass keeps remodelling for weeks, so a review opens the next visit instead of a fixed schedule being sold on day one. The likely range of visits is written into your quote at that review.

Ordering also decides what a short stay can achieve. Release and per-lesion work give something measurable inside one appointment; the collagen stages reward repetition across weeks. Say how long you are in Seoul at the consultation and the stages are sequenced against your dates.

Before the appointment

Getting skin ready for acne scar work

Let the breakout finish first — scar work is planned on a calm field. Skin that is actively inflamed is usually sent to a different route for a while before the scar course opens.
Pause actives on instruction — retinoids and acid exfoliants are stopped for a window your director specifies, and guessing at that window is a common reason a date has to move.
Arrive untanned — recent sun raises the chance of colour change after heat, and a fresh tan moves the appointment instead of lowering the setting.
Bring the full list — anything you take or apply for your skin belongs in the consultation, including medicines started abroad. Whether any of it should change is a medical decision made face to face and not on this page.
Photograph in side light — if you are writing from abroad, texture appears under raking light and vanishes in a flat frontal selfie. Two angles tell us more than ten straight-on shots.

Plan the diary as well as the skin: release and per-lesion work leave marks that are easier to sit out early in a stay than on its last evening. Where dates are tight, a quieter stage that shows very little is a legitimate answer to a calendar, and the same-day page explains where treatment on a first visit is sensible.

What shows afterwards

What acne scar work leaves on the face and how it settles

These are the patterns described before a first appointment. Your own window is given at the review, since depth, energy and the size of the field all move it.

After subcision — bruising over the released area, swelling that can make the cheek feel firm, and tenderness when you lie on that side. Small temporary lumps under a released floor are described as part of healing.
After Potenza passes — heat and a flush that reads like wind burn, with a grid of pinpoint marks where the needles entered. Puffiness frequently peaks the morning after the appointment instead of the same evening.
After CureJet — redness and a swollen, slightly raised feel across the treated plane, without the pinpoint pattern the needle routes leave.
After per-lesion CO2 or erbium — a small crust sitting on each treated point. This is the only line here that opens the surface deliberately, and the crusts are left alone to shed.

Named risks across these lines are bruising, swelling, burns, infection where the surface has been opened, temporary darkening of treated skin and, less commonly, lasting lightening of it. Deeper tones carry a higher chance of darkening after heat, so energy is lowered and intervals lengthened. Results vary between individuals.

Makeup over an opened surface waits until your director clears it. Sunscreen every morning is the one instruction that applies to all four lines, and heat — saunas, hot yoga, long baths — pauses for the window you are given.

Dear, Knowhow

Why a scar quote here starts with a scan and not a package

01 — THE FULL ARSENAL

Release, needle energy and ablative work under one roof

Subcision, Potenza, CureJet and per-lesion CO2 or erbium all sit in this building, so the stage your scan supports can be prescribed even when it is the cheapest line on the list.

02 — DIAGNOSIS FIRST

EVE Muse separates a tethered floor from a steep wall

Three-dimensional imaging under five light sources with AI analysis reads depth and shadow that a mirror flattens. A rolling scar and a boxcar scar look similar in a bathroom and behave nothing alike under energy.

03 — DIRECTOR-PERFORMED

The same hand reads the scan and holds the needle

Every stage is director-performed. Scar work is judged lesion by lesion, and a plan nobody hands to an assistant is a plan nobody has a reason to pad with passes.

In the clinic

The devices and hands behind this treatment

Jeisys Potenza RF microneedling system with both handpieces and its touchscreen showing the treatment interface
Jeisys Potenza RF microneedling system with both handpieces and its touchscreen showing the treatment interface
Close-up of the CureJet handpiece with its loaded syringe cartridge
Jet delivery, loaded before a pass across a scarred plane.
Front view of the EveLab Insight skin analysis device with its imaging array visible
Where scar shape is separated from scar shadow.
Published rates

What the acne scar lines are charged at in Cheongdam

Four listed lines carry acne scar work here. Subcision, Potenza with its standard tip and CureJet are each charged per visit; CO2 and erbium are counted per lesion treated. A staged course is quoted as the sum of the visits it actually uses, and the arithmetic is shown to you before anything is booked.
LineHow it is soldListed rate
SubcisionPer visit, for tethered acne scarring₩500,000 (≈ $355)
Potenza, standard tipPer visit, energy delivered through fine needles₩250,000 (≈ $180)
CureJetPer visit, full face₩500,000 (≈ $355)
CO2 or erbiumCounted per lesion treated₩10,000 (≈ $5)

Figures current for September 2026, quoted in KRW with a USD equivalent shown for orientation only. A resident of Seoul and a visitor flying in are quoted the same line for identical work. Consultation, imaging and any aftercare arrangements are explained at the visit, and the full sheet sits on the price list. Per-visit detail for the needle platform is broken down on the Potenza price page.

Dear 10 Selection, Dear Clinic October 2026 event (prices in Korean won, VAT excluded, identical for locals and international visitors): Ultherapy Prime 400 shots ₩1,320,000 · Ultherapy Prime 500 shots ₩1,650,000 · Ultherapy Prime 600 shots ₩1,980,000 · Thermage FLX 600 shots ₩1,900,000 · XERF 600 shots ₩1,600,000 · Dear Total Face Care: Ultherapy Prime 500 + Eye Thermage 450 + PN eye booster 1cc ₩3,700,000 · Thermage FLX 600 + PN booster HB 4cc + CaHA collagen booster 1 vial ₩3,400,000 · Ultherapy Prime 400 + PN healer 4cc (LDM and numbing included) ₩1,900,000 · Eye Thermage 450 + PDLLA eye booster 2cc ₩2,100,000
Dear 10 Selection · October lifting event — tap to book
 Dear 10 Selection, Dear Clinic October 2026 event (prices in Korean won, VAT excluded): Skin Revital Care: Potenza pumping + PDLLA skin booster 5cc ₩500,000 · PN booster HB 4cc ₩750,000 · PN healer 4cc + PN eye booster 2cc (LDM and numbing included) ₩850,000 · HA skin-quality booster 2cc ₩700,000 · RE2O 1 session ₩700,000 · Defined Volume Care: Eye Light 1cc + PN eye booster 1cc ₩1,050,000 · Chin filler 1cc + jawline filler 1cc ₩850,000 · PLLA collagen stimulator 2 vials ₩1,500,000 · Directors' Picks (Dr. Woojae Jung · Dr. Daeun Jung): Density Alpha 300 shots + PN booster HB 2cc (both cheeks) ₩1,100,000 · Potenza pumping + PDLLA skin booster 5cc, 3 sessions ₩1,150,000 · PN booster HB 4cc with PDLLA skin booster 2cc (both cheeks) ₩790,000 · Onda 80 kJ + Titanium 60 kJ ₩990,000
Dear 10 Selection · October skin revital & volume — tap to book
Caution

Living with the days after each acne scar stage

Leave every crust and pinpoint mark alone; lifting one turns a temporary point into a lasting one.
Sunscreen every morning, indoors included, for as long as your director specifies after a stage.
Keep heat away while the surface repairs — saunas, steam rooms, hard training and long hot showers.
Sleep off the treated side after a release stage so pressure is not applied to bruised tissue.
Call the clinic if swelling is worse on the third day than the first, if the skin blisters, or if a treated point becomes hot and painful.
Medical Team

Five doctors, one standard

Director-performed treatment is a Dear promise — your procedure is planned and performed by the doctors below.

Dr. Jemin Kim — Medical Director and Founder, Dear Clinic
Dr. Jemin Kim
Yonsei University College of Medicine
Medical Director · Founder
Dr. Sanghyun Lee — Director, Dear Clinic
Dr. Sanghyun Lee
Seoul National University College of Medicine
Director
Board-certified · Family Medicine
Dr. Seonhaeng Lee — Director of Aesthetic Medicine, Dear Clinic
Dr. Seonhaeng Lee
Chosun University College of Medicine · Residency, Samsung Medical Center
Director, Aesthetic Medicine
Dr. Daeun Jung — Director, Dear Clinic
Dr. Daeun Jung
Ajou University College of Medicine
Director
Board-certified · Family Medicine
Dr. Woojae Jung — Director of Aesthetic Medicine, Dear Clinic
Dr. Woojae Jung
Seoul National University — B.S. in Medicine
Director, Aesthetic Medicine
Patient Reviews

What our patients say

Real verified reviews from our Google Business Profile.

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The clinic was very professional from start to finish. Doctor Jung was excellent and gentle with the treatment. I felt well looked after and everyone was outstanding. Happy with my service!

Jen — Google review
Jen6 months ago
★★★★★

I've visited clinic for LDM procedure. I don't speak Korean, so there was an interpreter who assisted me while consulting. The staff was very attentive, they asked me every time before applying products/covering my face during the procedure and it went smoothly. Planning to visit the clini…

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All the staff are kind, the doctor is professional. They recommended us the treatment that fit us best and last the longest. A very nice experience overall.

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I did a hydrofacial, white/black head removal, and 1 day lasers. Really kind staff and reasonable prices. The only thing I would advise is that your first consultation is with a salesperson and you don’t see the doctor until after you decide what you want and after you pay.

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Had a great experience here as a foreigner! The doctors and staff were knowledgeable, friendly, and not pushy. They made recommendations in my consultation and were happy to work within my budget.

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FAQ

Planning acne scar treatment in Seoul, answered

How do I tell which acne scar shape I have before I come in?
Stand beside a window with the light coming from one side and tilt your face slowly. Openings that stay narrow and dark are the ice-pick type; round dips with a crisp edge that holds its shadow are boxcar; broad waves that appear and disappear as you turn are rolling. Marks that sit above the surrounding skin are raised. The scan settles it properly, because depth is the one dimension a mirror cannot show you.
Does every acne scar plan start with subcision?
No. Release is used where the scan finds floors anchored from below, which is typical of rolling scarring and common in mixed fields. A face carrying only sharply defined boxcar marks may open straight into needle energy. Your director names the starting stage at the scan review and explains why that one comes first on your face.
Can two scar shapes be treated in the same appointment?
Frequently, yes. Release and needle energy over separate zones of one face are routine, and per-lesion work can be added for a small number of standing marks. What is avoided is stacking heavy heat on a field that has just been released, since the recovery from the two together is longer than either alone.
What should I budget before I know how many visits my scars need?
Use the per-visit lines as the unit. Subcision is ₩500,000 (≈ $355) a visit, Potenza with the standard tip ₩250,000 (≈ $180), CureJet ₩500,000 (≈ $355) and ablative work ₩10,000 (≈ $5) for each lesion treated. A staged range is written against your own scan and revised as the face answers.
Do you offer full-face ablative resurfacing for scars?
What is published here is ablative work counted per lesion, so CO2 and erbium are used on individual standing or stubborn marks instead of across a whole face. Where a scan points somewhere beyond the four lines on this page, your director tells you that plainly at the review.
What do I stop using before an acne scar appointment?
Retinoids and acid exfoliants pause for a window your director sets, and deliberate sun exposure or self-tanning stops well ahead of the date. Bring everything you use, prescribed or bought, to the consultation. Whether any of it should change is decided face to face and belongs to a doctor rather than to a web page.
How visible will my face be in the days after a stage?
It depends on the stage. Release leaves bruising and a firm swelling; needle energy leaves heat, flush and a pinpoint grid; per-lesion work leaves a small crust at each point. Nobody can hand you a number of days that will hold for your skin, so the window is given at the review after your own depth and field size are known.
When can I wear makeup again after scar work?
Once your director clears it, and the answer differs by stage. Where the surface has been opened at treated points, cover-up waits longer than it does after a flush that has no break in the skin. Bringing a mineral sunscreen you tolerate is more useful than bringing foundation to the appointment.
Is there a scar you would decline to treat with these lines?
Yes. Raised tissue growing past the boundary of the original lesion is not something a field treatment corrects, and we do not recommend one for it. Active, crops-arriving acne postpones the scar course. Skin that is tanned, inflamed or barrier-damaged on the day earns a new date instead of a reduced setting.
Does my skin tone change the acne scar plan?
It changes the settings and the spacing more than it changes the lines. Higher melanin raises the chance of temporary darkening after heat, so energy is lowered, fields are kept smaller and intervals are lengthened. Sunscreen discipline between stages matters more for deeper tones, because pigment arriving after a session can outlast the texture change you came for.
Can the first stage run on the day I come in?
Often it can, where the skin is calm and the diary allows. The scan and the consultation come first and the plan has to be agreed before anything is delivered. Consultations run in English and the rooms open 365 days a year, which is set out on the English consultation page.
Can I get an opinion on my scars before flying to Seoul?
Send the consultation form with photographs taken in side light from two angles and tell us how many days you will be in the city. We reply in English as soon as possible with the stages we expect to propose and the lines they would be charged on, so the arithmetic is known before you board.
Consultation

Send us the scars, and we will send back the stages

Your questions, answered in English as soon as possible.

Scientific Evidence

Published work behind needle radiofrequency on atrophic scarring

Fractional radiofrequency delivered through microneedles is the stage of this guide with the largest published record on atrophic acne scarring, and the studies below include work carried out on Asian skin, a split-face comparison against fractional CO2, a pooled analysis of the method, and a randomised split-face comparison against a different fractional radiofrequency design.

Each reference carries a resolvable DOI from an indexed journal. They inform how energy, depth and spacing are approached on the needle stage described above; the number of visits your own plan needs is estimated after your scan, and outcomes vary between individuals.

  1. Vejjabhinanta V et al. The efficacy in treatment of facial atrophic acne scars in Asians with a fractional radiofrequency microneedle system. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2013. doi:10.1111/jdv.12267
  2. Hendel K et al. Fractional CO2‐laser versus microneedle radiofrequency for acne scars: A randomized, single treatment, split‐face trial. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2023. doi:10.1002/lsm.23655
  3. Li J et al. Meta‐analysis of fractional radiofrequency treatment for acne and/or acne scars. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2022. doi:10.1111/jocd.15348
  4. Lan T et al. Comparison of Fractional Micro‐Plasma Radiofrequency and Fractional Microneedle Radiofrequency for the Treatment of Atrophic Acne Scars: A Pilot Randomized Split‐Face Clinical Study in China. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2020. doi:10.1002/lsm.23369

References are provided for information — outcomes vary by individual and are assessed at your diagnosis.

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