How to Read a Korean Skin Clinic Price List: Shots, kJ, cc and Sessions

What do shots, kJ, cc, vials, units and sessions mean?

Each unit measures something different, so a number only makes sense next to its device or product.

Two things follow. First, you cannot compare across units: 300 shots on two different devices are different amounts of treatment, and neither converts into kJ. It does not help that Ultherapy shots are called lines in some countries, and that Thermage FLX pulses are shown as REPs on the device. Second, a smaller package at a lower price is not better value if the smaller amount is not what your face needs.

Botulinum toxin follows its own logic, with units that differ by product, prices per area and a diluted skin version priced by volume. It has a separate guide: how per-unit botulinum toxin pricing works.

How many shots or kJ will I need?

The honest answer is that it depends on the face in front of the doctor; the steps on a price list are convenient package sizes. When setting an amount, a doctor usually weighs:

• The area. Around the eyes, the jawline, the full face and the face plus neck are different jobs. Some devices use a separate, smaller tip for the eye area.
• Skin thickness and laxity. Thicker or looser skin may be treated differently from thin, firm skin.
• How much soft tissue there is. In a naturally slim face, a doctor may be more careful with deep energy in some areas.
• Depths and tips. Ultherapy, for example, uses transducers that reach different depths, and the doctor decides how the shots are split between them.
• What else is in your plan. If lifting is combined with injectables or another device, the amount of each may change.
• Comfort and timing. How you tolerate the treatment and how many days you have before flying home can also shape the plan.

As a rough orientation only: on Korean lists, Ultherapy is often offered as 100 shots for small areas such as around the eyes, and as 300 to 900 shots for the face or the face and neck. Thermage FLX face options are commonly 600 or 900 shots, with 225 or 450 shots on the smaller eye tip. Onda and Titanium face options are often in the region of 80 to 120 kJ, with body areas higher. These are typical package sizes, not amounts anyone can promise before an examination. Every device also has possible side effects, such as redness, swelling, tenderness or, rarely, burns, which the doctor should explain before treatment.

Regular price, listed price, event price: which one applies?

Many Korean lists show two figures for each item: a regular price, often crossed out, and a lower listed price next to it. On most lists the lower figure is the one that applies and the regular price is there for reference. If a list does not make this clear, ask before you book.

Event prices are a third layer. They are time-limited and usually apply only to specific items, amounts and dates. When you see one, check three things: the end date, the exact amount included (how many shots, kJ or cc), and whether VAT is included.

Session packages, such as 5 or 10 toning sessions, lower the price per visit, but they only help if you can come back at the intervals the doctor recommends. If you are in Korea for a week, ask whether the plan fits your stay and what happens to any sessions you cannot use before you fly home.

Is VAT included in the price?

Korea's VAT rate is 10%. Price lists are written in different ways, some with VAT included and others without, so two lists can differ by 10% purely because of how prices are displayed. As a round example, a treatment listed at KRW 300,000 without VAT costs KRW 330,000 once VAT is added at payment.

Foreign patients can no longer reclaim the VAT paid on cosmetic and dermatology procedures: that scheme ended on 31 December 2025. Bills to bring it back have been filed, but none had passed as of 7 October 2026, so plan your budget without it. Shopping refunds are a separate system and do not cover treatments. More detail: VAT on skin treatments in Korea in 2026.

How can I check what is actually used?

A per-unit price only means something if you receive the units you pay for. These are ordinary questions you can put to any clinic:

• Energy devices: which device and which tip or transducer will be used, and whether you can see it before treatment. Many devices display a counter of the shots or energy delivered.
• Injectables: whether you can see the product box or label, and how many cc or vials will be used.
• Botulinum toxin: which product will be used, and how many units in each area.

Asking is not an accusation; clear answers simply let you compare like with like.

Questions to ask before you book

• Is this price per shot, kJ, cc, vial or session, and what exact amount does my quote include?
• Is VAT included in this price?
• Is this the regular price, the current listed price or an event price, and until what date does it apply?
• Who decides the number of shots or kJ, and will a doctor explain why that amount suits my face?
• Which device, tip or product will be used, and can I see it before treatment?
• Are numbing cream and soothing care included, or charged separately?
• For packages: how far apart are the sessions, and what happens to sessions I cannot use before I fly home?

How ATTITUDE approaches this

At ATTITUDE Clinic in Seoul, an AI skin analysis first records and organizes your skin data to support the consultation. It does not provide a medical diagnosis. One of our two co-directors then goes through it with you and decides what you need, what you don't, and in what order, including how many shots, kJ or cc make sense for your face. Every price on our price list is set per unit, is the same in every language version of this site, and is shown with VAT excluded; 10% VAT is added at payment. Lifting items in our opening event (see the lifting event) run until 31 October 2026 and are shown with the regular price and the event price, VAT excluded.

Frequently asked questions