Acne Scar Treatmentin Seoul, Korea

Acne scars are the marks left when inflamed acne breaks down collagen in the dermis, the deeper layer of the skin. The depressed kind, called atrophic scars, is classified into three shapes, and the choice of tool follows the shape (Jacob, 2001). Ice pick scars are narrow openings that run deep. Boxcar scars are wider, with flat floors and sharp edges that catch shadow. Rolling scars are broad, soft dips held down from below, and they look deeper under overhead light or when you smile.

One face can carry all three types at once. For that reason the plan starts by sorting scars by type and by area, and only then by device.

Laser on inflamed, broken or freshly tanned skin can spread irritation and slow healing. The conditions listed as not suitable are reasons to wait, and treatment can be planned once they settle.

UltraPulse Alpha is a fractional CO2 laser made by Lumenis. A CO2 laser uses infrared light that the water in skin absorbs, and the energy vaporizes a tiny volume of tissue. In fractional mode the beam is divided into a grid of microscopic columns with bridges of untreated skin between them. Those bridges are what the treated columns heal from, and the healing phase is when new collagen is laid down under the scar floor.

Each scar type asks something different of the laser. Ice pick scars need energy delivered narrow and deep to reach their base. Boxcar scars need their sharp rims softened at the surface as well as their floors treated. Rolling scars are tethered by fibrous strands beneath the skin, and light energy from above does not cut those strands.

Subcision covers that gap. It is a needle technique: a fine needle is passed under the scar to cut the bands that anchor it, so the skin can lift back toward the surface. It is added where scars are tethered and is priced by size.

Combining the two has research behind it for fractional CO2 lasers in general. In a randomized trial, subcision with fractional CO2 improved atrophic acne scars more than subcision alone (Abdelwahab, 2022), and a 2026 network meta-analysis found combinations built on fractional CO2, including pairing with subcision, gave the most consistent benefit, while calling for longer controlled trials (Ou, 2026). These studies test the laser type and do not single out UltraPulse Alpha.

Within one session the settings change from zone to zone. Energy, density and coverage are adjusted to scar depth and shape, skin thickness and how the skin has healed before. On the clinic's price list the scar laser treatment is a bundle: alongside UltraPulse it can include Enderm, Opus Pixel, Hybrid, SkinJet and Sca Mode, and the doctor chooses the combination according to scar type. The price follows the treated area and the number of sessions.

According to the clinic's records, Pixelab Beauty Clinic was the first plastic surgery clinic in Korea to introduce the UltraPulse Alpha.

Scar laser prices at Pixelab Beauty Clinic are fixed by the size of the treated area and by the number of sessions. Every figure below is listed before VAT. The 10% VAT is added when you pay, and the amount with VAT is printed next to it so the total is clear before you travel.

Three area sizes are used: a card-sized patch, both cheeks, or the full face. Each comes as a single session or a five-session package, and a yearly plan allows one treatment every 2 months. Subcision is priced by the size of the tethered area, from under 2 × 2 cm up to the full face. As an example, one full-face session is ₩1,500,000 + VAT.

An area price covers the scar laser bundle for that zone, so it is a price for the area and session. It does not stand for a single UltraPulse pass. PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) is an injectable add-on to a scar session. A written quote names your areas, the session count and any subcision, which lets you compare the total with your travel budget before booking flights.

A fractional CO2 laser and subcision both injure the skin on purpose so that it rebuilds. The known risks are:

• Redness, swelling and warmth for 2–3 days; redness that spreads or deepens after that needs a check.
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, a temporary darkening that is more likely in darker skin types and with sun on healing skin.
• Infection, including a flare of cold sores (herpes simplex) in people who carry the virus.
• Acne breakouts or milia, small white bumps, while the skin heals under tape.
• Bruising, swelling or small firm lumps where subcision was done.
• Burns or new scarring, which are possible with any ablative laser.
• Partial improvement: scars become shallower and texture smoother, yet they do not vanish, and deep scars need several sessions.

Pigment change is the main limit reported for this laser type. A review of fractional resurfacing in Asian skin names post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation as the main complication and links lower density, wider spacing and more sessions with lower risk (Wat, 2016). A meta-analysis found fractional CO2 more effective than a comparison erbium laser, yet more painful and possibly more likely to leave pigmentation (Liu, 2024).

Message the clinic promptly if pain grows, swelling or heat persists, bleeding does not stop, cloudy discharge appears or you notice signs of an allergic reaction.

The before-and-after photos further down show patients treated at the clinic; results vary from person to person with skin and scar type.