Choosing well
Korean clinic red flags: fake products, missing shots and a different doctor
The Korea beauty stories that travel furthest on Reddit are warnings: an expired Rejuran box, fewer shots than paid for, a doctor who disappeared after the consultation. You cannot inspect a clinic's supply chain, but six polite questions make these problems much harder to hide.
What readers ask
“How do I know the Rejuran is genuine and not expired?”
“Will the doctor I consult actually do my treatment?”
How can you check that Rejuran is genuine?
Ask to see the box and the sealed blister before the injection, and check the expiry date. The maker, PharmaResearch, runs a genuine-product check that, after a 2025 update, combines the box, a QR code and an NFC chip on the back of the blister (company announcement reported in June 2025). A clinic using genuine stock has no reason to refuse.
How do you know you received the shots you paid for?
Ultherapy, Thermage and similar devices are priced by shots or lines. Get the number in writing before you pay, ask to see the new tip or cartridge opened in front of you, and ask to see the count at the end. If you will be sedated, agree beforehand that the clinic gives you a written record of the device, tip and shots used.
How Ultherapy shots and tips work, and what to ask
Read the guideWill the doctor you consult be the one who treats you?
In some clinics a consultation manager, who is not a doctor, discusses packages and prices, and a doctor you have not met performs the treatment. Ask directly: “Will the doctor I see today be the one who treats me?” Write the doctor's name on your quote.
What should a written quote show?
| Item | What to ask for |
|---|---|
| Product or device | Brand and model, e.g. which booster or which lifting device |
| Amount | cc, units or shots |
| Sessions | How many, and how far apart |
| Tax | Whether 10% VAT is included |
| Who treats you | The doctor's name |
| After you fly home | Who to contact, and how |
How can you check that a clinic is registered for international patients?
Korea registers medical institutions and agencies that serve international patients, and registration has to be renewed every three years. The government's foreign-patient portal, Medical Korea (medicalkorea.or.kr), lists registered institutions. Ask your coordinator which clinic it is and check the name yourself.
COMEDI connects you only with providers selected for your country.
Providers selected for your countryWhat if something goes wrong?
Contact the clinic first, in writing, and keep your quote, receipts and photos of the product boxes. If it cannot be resolved, Korea's Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency accepts applications from international patients as well as Korean patients.
- 01
Before you book
Decide the one concern you want to fix and your budget ceiling. Ask for the quote items in the table above.
- 02
At the consultation
Ask who will treat you and get the quote on paper. You do not have to decide the same day.
- 03
In the treatment room
See the sealed product or new tip opened, check the expiry date, and ask for the shot count at the end.
- 04
Before you fly home
Keep the record of product, amount and doctor, and know who to contact.
Tell COMEDI your dates and concerns. We arrange the consultation and an interpreter, and get the clinic's quote in writing.
Contact COMEDIGeneral information, not medical advice. Your doctor decides what suits you.
Quick answers
Is it rude to ask to see the product box in Korea?
No. It is a reasonable request. Ask politely before the treatment starts, and check the expiry date.
I already had treatment and I am not sure what was used. What can I do?
Ask the clinic in writing for your treatment record: product, amount, device, tip and shots. Keep receipts and any photos.
Does COMEDI rank clinics?
No. We do not rank clinics. We connect you with providers selected for your country, arrange an interpreter and get the quote in writing; a doctor decides any treatment.
Treatment guides
IF THIS IS YOUR CONCERN