Gangnam Lifting Clinics: 3 Things to Check First

If you're looking for a good lifting clinic in Gangnam, it helps to check three things before reputation: whether your sagging is diagnosed by which skin layer is involved, whether ultrasound (Ulthera) or radiofrequency (Thermage) is chosen to match that layer, and whether recovery is planned after the procedure. Here's how we approach all three at our Gangnam location.

Hello, I'm Kim Yeonjin, director at UH CELL Gangnam. In consultations, I'm often asked, "Which clinic is well known for this?" I usually turn that question around and answer a different one instead: "Which lifting approach actually fits your face?"

Ulthera and Thermage Reach Different Layers

Ulthera uses focused ultrasound to create small points of thermal coagulation at a set depth beneath the skin. According to a Pan-Asian expert consensus review published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (JCAD), the device delivers energy at three depths, 1.5mm, 3.0mm, and 4.5mm, heating tissue from the superficial skin down to the SMAS layer. The same review notes that Ulthera has FDA clearance in the United States for lifting the eyebrow, neck, and under the chin.

Thermage works differently. It's a monopolar radiofrequency device. A 2026 review in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, authored by Kilmer, describes Thermage as heating the treatment area uniformly, producing immediate tissue contraction followed by longer-term collagen production.

I don't start by picking a device. I start by diagnosing whether the sagging comes from a deeper support layer losing structure, or from the dermis itself thinning and loosening. The device follows that diagnosis, not the other way around.

Who Is Actually Operating the Device Matters

Even with the same machine, the depth and energy settings are decisions the treating physician makes case by case. It's reasonable to ask, during a consultation, what training that physician has completed on the specific device. I studied at Seoul National University's graduate school and trained at Seoul National University Hospital. I currently serve as a Potenza and Ulthera Z Key Doctor, and as Allergan faculty for Juvederm and Botox.

Where Do You Recover Afterward?

Our Gangnam location sits on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the UH FLAT SIGNATURE Gangnam hotel building (13 Teheran-ro 8-gil, WD Building), operating as an on-site hotel amenity rather than a separate clinic elsewhere. If you're staying at the hotel, you can rest in the same building after your procedure, and treatments themselves can be done in a private room. We've covered which at-home skincare ingredients to pause and which to continue after a lifting procedure in a separate article on UH CELL NEWS.

FAQ

When did Ulthera first receive FDA clearance?

According to a narrative review published on PMC, the U.S. National Institutes of Health's academic database, Ulthera first received clearance in 2009 for non-invasive eyebrow lifting, with indications later expanding to neck and under-chin lifting and improvement of upper chest wrinkles.

Can I get a consultation in a language other than Korean?

Our Gangnam location has interpreting staff on-site who can support consultations in Japanese, Chinese, and English.

What is included for hotel guests?

Guests staying at a UHC group hotel may choose one complimentary service: either a 30-minute oxygen chamber session or a vitamin IV drip. If you'd like to use both, the vitamin IV is offered at 55,000 KRW. Full terms are available on our official promotion page.

Skin response and recovery time vary by individual. Please consult with a physician for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.