Acne Treatment at a Seoul Skin Clinic

Acne forms inside the hair follicle. Oil from the sebaceous gland, shed skin cells and the bacterium Cutibacterium acnes build up into a plug. A closed plug is a whitehead and an open one is a blackhead; inflammation around it turns it into a red papule, a pus-filled pustule or a deep, painful nodule.

In-clinic sessions work on the parts of that chain that can be reached from the skin surface: emptying plugs, calming inflammation and, with heat-based methods, aiming at the oil glands. They sit alongside daily skincare, and for more severe acne alongside medical treatment. A network meta-analysis of acne treatments found the strongest effects for moderate to severe acne came from medicines such as oral isotretinoin and from photodynamic therapy, while peels and light treatments helped milder acne with thinner evidence behind them (Mavranezouli, 2022).

Squeezing spots at home pushes their contents deeper and can turn a spot into a mark. Extraction with sterile tools and a controlled angle is meant to avoid that. Deep, hard and painful nodules are a separate case, since pressing on them can worsen the inflammation.

Acne Care is listed among the clinic's facial treatments as a dedicated acne session. The clinic's recovery note refers to redness after extraction, so emptying clogged pores is part of the visit. Extraction lifts the plug of oil and dead cells out through the follicle opening, which flattens blackheads and whiteheads and relieves pressure in pustules that are ready to drain.

Ethosome PTT combines two ideas. An ethosome is a soft lipid vesicle made with ethanol, designed to carry an ingredient through the outer skin layer and into hair follicles. PTT stands for photothermal therapy, in which light is converted into heat at a target. In acne, photothermal approaches aim that heat at the follicle and its oil gland, where the plug starts. The ingredient and the light device used in this clinic's Ethosome PTT are not detailed on the price list, so this page describes the method in general terms.

Heat aimed at oil glands has also been tested with radiofrequency delivered through microneedles. In a randomized trial, a single-microneedle radiofrequency device that heats sebaceous glands selectively improved acne consistently and safely (Ahn, 2019). A meta-analysis of fractional radiofrequency for acne and acne scars called it a reasonable choice for people with active acne or skin prone to dark marks, while grading the evidence as low (Li, 2022). On this clinic's list that approach appears as Potenza Agnes, which has its own page.

Chemical peels are the other surface method with trials behind them. A systematic review of randomized trials found the common peels worked similarly for mild to moderate acne and were well tolerated, yet the evidence was too limited to say one peel outperforms another (Chen, 2018).

Spacing follows the skin. The clinic's guide sets visits 1 to 2 weeks or 2 to 4 weeks apart according to skin condition, so an active flare is seen more often and calmer skin less often.

Both acne sessions are priced per visit, and the list shows no package for them. Because the guide spaces visits 1 to 4 weeks apart, the number of sessions a trip can hold shapes your total more than any single line does.

The figures on the cards are shown before Korea's 10% VAT, which is added at checkout, and the VAT-inclusive amount appears on the same card. Ethosome PTT sits slightly above Acne Care on the list.

Full-face extraction on its own is a separate line among the facial treatments. If extraction is all you want, ask for that line to be quoted next to Acne Care so you can compare the two.

Extraction opens the skin and heat-based steps warm it, so the side effects follow from those two actions:

• Redness, stinging or irritation for 1 to 3 days after extraction.
• Small scabs at extraction points, which can leave marks if picked.
• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, temporary brown marks that are more likely in darker skin and with sun on healing skin.
• Blistering or a burn if a light-based heat step is too strong for the skin.
• Infection at an opened pore.
• A short flare of breakouts after a session in reactive skin.
• Recurrence: acne can return, and the clinic's guide calls for ongoing care.

Red marks that linger after spots heal, called post-acne erythema, are a separate problem from active acne. A systematic review found lasers and some topical agents promising for them but called for more randomized trials (Kalantari, 2022).

Message the clinic if redness spreads, a treated spot turns hot and painful, pus collects again where a pore was emptied, or a blister appears.