Skin Treatment in Korea: Two Contacts to Save

If you are visiting Korea for your first skin treatment, I recommend saving two contacts before your appointment: your treating clinic’s contact and return-visit details, and the Medical Korea Support Center’s Medical Call number, 1577-7129. The center is an international patient support service operated by Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.

Hello, I’m Dr. KIM YEONJIN, head doctor at UH CELL Clinic’s Gangnam branch. If redness or swelling lasts longer than expected after treatment, being abroad can make it difficult to know whom to ask or which language to use. That is why I recommend adding these two contacts to your travel preparations.

First: How to contact and return to your treating clinic

During your consultation, ask: “If I notice an unexpected reaction during my stay, how should I contact the clinic, and when can I come back?” Write down the answer. If your flight home is already booked, I recommend checking how those arrangements fit your itinerary.

Our Gangnam clinic operates within the UH FLAT SIGNATURE Gangnam hotel building, rather than as an affiliated clinic in a separate building. If you stay at this hotel, your accommodation and our clinic are in the same building.

Our Gangnam branch has interpretation staff who support Japanese, Chinese, and English, so you can describe your symptoms in one of those languages.

For recovery care, UHC hotel guests may choose one complimentary option: a 30-minute oxygen chamber session or a vitamin IV infusion. If you use both, the vitamin IV infusion costs KRW 55,000.

Second: Government support for international patients

Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute operate Medical Korea Support Centers in Seoul and Incheon.

In their announcement about relocating the Seoul center to Seoul Station, the two organizations explained that international patients can visit a center or call Medical Call at 1577-7129 for medical service guidance in English, Chinese, Japanese, or Russian.

The service can help connect patients with medical interpreters when needed. If a medical dispute arises, it also provides guidance from initial counseling through assistance with filing a case with the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency.

I explain the mediation process separately in How to Assess a Seoul Skin Clinic Through Patient Protection Systems, available in Korean.

Skin reactions and recovery times vary from person to person. I recommend discussing your return travel date during the diagnostic consultation so it can be considered when planning treatment.