Treatment Name Glossary
Korean price lists are written in marketing names, brand names and English loanwords, which is why two clinics can appear to offer entirely different things. This page translates the names only. For what each treatment actually involves, follow the link at the end.
How to read a Korean price list
Four kinds of name get mixed together on the same sheet, and telling them apart is most of the work:
| Kind of name | Example pattern | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Category name | Ends in 주사 (injection) or 리프팅 (lifting) | Ask which product or device |
| Brand name | A transliterated trademark | Ask what category it belongs to |
| Clinic’s own programme name | Invented, often playful | Ask what is inside it |
| Loanword | English written in Hangul | Read it aloud; it is usually the English word |
Injections
| Korean | What English-speaking clinics call it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 물광주사 (mulgwang-jusa) | Skin booster injection | Literally “water glow injection”; a category, not one product |
| 스킨부스터 (seukin-buseuteo) | Skin booster | The umbrella term, used in Korea as in English |
| 리쥬란 (Rejuran) | Polynucleotide skin booster | A product brand name |
| 쥬베룩 (Juvelook) | Injectable skin booster | A product brand name |
| 스킨보톡스 (seukin-botokseu) | Microbotox, intradermal botulinum toxin | A marketing name, not an official product name |
| 보톡스 (botokseu) | Botulinum toxin | Used generically in Korea for any brand |
| 필러 (pilleo) | Dermal filler | Ask which filler brand and how much |
| 윤곽주사 (yungwak-jusa) | “Contour injection” | A non-standard name; always ask what is in it |
| 볼륨주사 (bollyum-jusa) | “Volume injection” | Usually a filler, sometimes a collagen stimulator such as Sculptra; confirm which product |
Lifting devices
| Korean | What English-speaking clinics call it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 울쎄라 (Ulssera) | Ultherapy, ultrasound lifting | Device brand name |
| 슈링크 (Shurink) | Ultrasound lifting (HIFU) | Device brand name |
| 리프테라 (Liftera) | Ultrasound lifting (HIFU) | Device brand name |
| 써마지 (Sseomaji) | Thermage, radiofrequency lifting | Device brand name |
| 인모드 (InMode) | Radiofrequency device platform | Device brand name, covers several handpieces |
| 포텐자 (Potenza) | Microneedling radiofrequency | Device brand name |
| 실리프팅 (sil-lifting) | Thread lift | 실 means thread; ask which thread type |
| 리프팅 (lifting) | Non-surgical lifting | Umbrella term, says nothing specific on its own |
Lasers and skin treatments
| Korean | What English-speaking clinics call it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 레이저 토닝 (leijeo toning) | Laser toning | A course of sessions rather than one visit |
| 피코토닝 (piko-toning) | Picosecond laser toning | Names the laser type |
| 아쿠아필 (akwa-pil) | Aqua peel, hydra-type facial | Sold as a standalone session or inside a programme |
| 관리 (gwan-ri) | In-clinic skin care session | The word used for facial-type care, not a procedure |
| 스케일링 (seukeilling) | Skin scaling, deep cleansing | Nothing to do with dental scaling |
| 필링 (pilling) | Peel | Ask which agent and strength |
| 재생관리 (jaesaeng-gwan-ri) | Post-treatment recovery care | Often bundled after a laser session |
Programme and price-list words
This is the vocabulary that decides what you are actually buying.
| Korean | Pronunciation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 패키지 | pae-ki-ji | Package, several sessions bought together |
| 회차 | hoe-cha | Session number, as in session two of three |
| 1회 / 3회 / 5회 | il-hoe / sam-hoe / o-hoe | One session, three sessions, five sessions |
| 부위 | bu-wi | Area, as in how many areas are included |
| 추가 | chu-ga | Additional, an extra charged on top |
| 상담 | sang-dam | Consultation |
| 시술 | si-sul | A non-surgical procedure |
| 리터치 | ri-teo-chi | Touch-up, a small adjustment after the main session |
| 쁘띠성형 | ppeu-tti-seong-hyeong | “Petit” procedures — non-surgical cosmetic work |
| 오마카세 | o-ma-ka-se | A chef’s-choice style programme, chosen by the clinic |
Two warnings about programme names. First, “omakase”-style names, borrowed from restaurant menus, mean the clinic selects the combination on the day — convenient, and also the format where you are least likely to know what you received unless you ask for it in writing. Second, a package priced by session count is only good value if you will be in Seoul for the later sessions.
Names that mislead
| Name | The trap |
|---|---|
| A brand name you recognise | The same trademark can cover a family of devices or a range of products. Ask which one. |
| A brand name you do not recognise | It may be perfectly ordinary and simply licensed under a different name in your country. |
| A clinic’s own programme name | Invented for the price list. It has no standard meaning, so nothing can be compared until you know its contents. |
| 주사 (jusa) alone | Just means “injection”. It tells you the route, not the substance. |
The one habit that covers all four: ask for the product or device name in writing, and keep it. The phrasebook has this request in Korean, and records and payment explains what else to take away.
What these treatments actually involve
This page stops at the names on purpose. For what each category involves, where it is used and how the categories differ from one another, read the treatment guides on our sister site: koreanfacialtreatment.com/treatments/.
Take the name you were quoted, find its category above, then read that guide before your consultation. Arriving with the category clear in your mind, rather than a brand name copied from a video, is what makes a consultation useful.
Plan it with the trip planner
Session counts and packages only make sense against the length of your stay, so settle your dates first. Use the trip planner to see how many visits your trip can genuinely hold before you agree to a multi-session programme.
FAQ
Why are so many names brand names?
Korean clinics market by device and product brand rather than by treatment category, so a price list often reads as a list of trademarks. The useful habit is to ask which category a name belongs to, then ask which specific product or device will be used on you.
Is a name on a price list the same thing everywhere?
Not reliably. Clinics coin their own programme names, and the same coined name can mean different combinations at different clinics. Ask what is inside a programme before you agree to it.
Will my doctor at home recognise these names?
Some, and not others, because products are licensed and branded differently in each country. This is why a written record with the product name matters more than the marketing name you were quoted.
Where can I read what these treatments actually do?
This page is deliberately names only. The treatment guides on our sister site cover what each category involves, and the link is at the foot of this page.