APTOS Professional Course & A.X.A Forum: HERA's 2026 Thread-Lift Training
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Between April and June 2026, HERA's two directors β Dr. Jong Seon Kim and Dr. Jong Hoon Lee β completed the official APTOS Professional Course at the manufacturer's headquarters in Georgia, and were then invited to present at the Aptos Xperts Alliance (A.X.A) Forum in Seoul. Both are thread-lifting events, and both are the kind of thing a patient rarely hears about β so here is what actually happened, and why it matters if you are considering a thread lift.
Why training at the manufacturer matters to you
Thread lifting is a technique-dependent procedure. The same thread, placed at a different depth or along a different vector, produces a different result β and a different risk profile. Training run by the company that develops the threads is the closest thing to learning the method from its source: the anatomy of the product, what it is designed to do, and equally important, what it is not designed to do.
We mention this not as a credential to impress you, but because it is one of the few things you can actually verify when choosing a clinic abroad.
APTOS Professional Course β Georgia, 20β21 April 2026
The course is an invitation-only programme; only a small number of physicians from Korea are selected each round. It ran for two days at APTOS headquarters and was taught by the company's core faculty.
Day one opened with a tour of the production facility, followed by lectures and a live demonstration by Dr. Murat Tsintsadze covering the clinical principles and method mastery of the APTOS Full Face Solution. The afternoon moved to an intensive hands-on workshop on anatomical models. The day closed with an open discussion with Dr. George Sulamanidze, the inventor of APTOS threads, and a dinner at the APTOS wine cellar.
Day two went deeper into safe thread-lifting technique with Dr. Tsintsadze β further lectures, another live demonstration of the Full Face Solution, and more model work. The programme ended with a formal certificate ceremony.
A.X.A Forum β Seoul, 20 June 2026
Two months later both directors were invited to the Aptos Xperts Alliance (A.X.A) Forum at Oakwood Premier COEX Center in Seoul. It is a closed forum: attendance is limited to APTOS's principal domestic partners and leading physicians who shape the brand's clinical direction in Korea.
Rather than a general lecture, the directors presented from their own case records: which products and techniques they prefer for which areas, single-procedure cases, before-and-after clinical outcomes, and cases where thread lifting was combined with other treatments. The purpose of the session was practical β to help establish thread-lifting standards suited to Korean patients and to test those standards against real clinical data.
The cases presented there are being compiled into a HERA APTOS before-and-after record.
What this means if you are travelling to Seoul
It means the doctor who assesses your face has trained on the method at its source and has had their own case work examined by peers who do this at a high level. It does not mean a thread lift is right for you β that depends on your anatomy, your skin, and what you actually want to change, and we will tell you honestly if a different treatment, or doing less, would serve you better.
If you would like to see what thread lifting has looked like for other patients here, our patient case gallery holds before-and-after records from treatments performed at HERA. The clinical detail of the procedure itself is set out on our MINT Thread Lift page.
Visiting HERA in Gangnam
- Booking: enquire and reserve before you arrive so your slot is confirmed.
- Interpreter: an on-site English interpreter joins your consultation and treatment.
- Same price: international and local patients pay exactly the same β there is no foreigner markup, and you receive an itemised written estimate after the consultation.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is APTOS?
APTOS is a thread-lifting brand whose threads and methods are developed at its headquarters in Georgia. The company runs official training for physicians on how its threads are designed to be placed and used.Q2Is the Professional Course open to any doctor?
No. It is invitation-only and a small number of physicians from Korea are selected each round. HERA's Dr. Jong Seon Kim and Dr. Jong Hoon Lee completed the two-day course at APTOS headquarters on 20β21 April 2026.Q3What is the A.X.A Forum?
Aptos Xperts Alliance is a closed forum limited to APTOS's principal domestic partners and leading physicians in Korea. It was held at Oakwood Premier COEX Center in Seoul on 20 June 2026, and both HERA directors presented from their own case records.Q4Does this training mean a thread lift will suit me?
Not by itself. Training tells you how the doctor learned the method; whether the procedure suits you depends on your anatomy, skin condition and goals. We will say plainly at the consultation if a different treatment β or doing less β would serve you better.Q5Can I see real thread-lift results at HERA?
Yes. Our patient case gallery holds before-and-after records from treatments performed at HERA, filterable by treatment type. The clinical detail of the procedure is set out on the Custom Thread Lifting page.
Real stories
What Our Patients Say
Videos posted by patients who came from abroad.
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On YouTube
Hear it from the doctors before you fly
Our doctors explain HERA's main treatments, lifting, filler and skin boosters, on camera, so you know who you are meeting and how they think before you land in Seoul.
Korean audio Β· auto-translated captions available on YouTube
16 videos
- 6:24Filler
Dr. Kim and Dr. Lee sort out how fillers, collagen injections and skin boosters differ, and which concern each one is for.
Dr. Jong Β· Dr. Jong - 7:36Clinic & doctors
HERA podcast ep. 3 β Dr. Kim and Dr. Lee look at the same face and explain the treatments they would choose, and why.
Dr. Jong Β· Dr. Jong - 8:07Lifting
What APTOS threads are, who they are recommended for, and a real patient's treatment and before-and-after.
Dr. Jong - 5:44Lifting
How APTOS compares with other lifting threads, what recovery is like and how long results last.
Dr. Jong Β· Dr. Jong - 4:20Filler
Dr. Kim shows how injection technique changes with the amount of filler, and how filler dissolves.
Dr. Jong - 5:50Filler
What a hollow upper eyelid is, filler vs fat grafting, how long it lasts and what to watch for.
Dr. Jong - 5:20Filler
Dr. Kim breaks down lip proportion, volume and mouth corners using well-known Korean celebrities' lips as examples.
Dr. Jong - 5:39Skin & boosters
Hydration, pores, breakouts or tone β matching the skin booster to what your skin actually needs.
Dr. Jong - 6:05Skin & boosters
Dr. Lee explains how Lituo and CaHA work, how they are injected and how often.
Dr. Jong - 5:00Skin & boosters
What Juvelook Eye is, what it is used for, how many sessions it takes and how long it lasts.
Dr. Jong - 5:56Lifting
Why lines form around the eyes, which treatments are combined, and Eye Thermage vs Eye Ulthera.
Dr. Jong - 4:58Lifting
Why Dr. Lee cares about lifting, and what he looks at first when he sees a patient.
Dr. Jong - 3:30Clinic & doctors
Dr. Han talks about what matters most in a consultation and the approach behind every treatment.
Dr. Jin - 5:29Skin & boosters
A tour of HERA's main devices and which skin concern β pores, texture or firmness β each one helps with.
Dr. Jong - 4:40Clinic & doctors
Three areas brides care about, recommended treatments, and what still works with a month to go.
Dr. Jong Β· Dr. Jong - 4:39Clinic & doctors
What an AI skin scan measures β wrinkles, pigment, firmness, pores β and why a doctor's consultation still matters.
Dr. Jong Β· Dr. Jong
Shorts
One question, under a minute
HERA TV
The doctors explain it on camera β then in writing
Each piece is written by the doctor from their own YouTube video: the patient question, why it happens and how we approach it.
6:24korean plla fillerKorean PLLA Filler? Filler vs Collagen Booster vs Skin Booster
Is PLLA a filler? Two Gangnam HERA doctors sort out the three injectable families that confuse most patients β filler, collagen boosters and skin boosters β and how to combine them by area.
Dr. Jong Seon Kim7 min read
4:21neck line fillerNeck Line Filler: One Treatment, Start to Follow-Up
A Gangnam plastic surgeon treats a young patient's two neck lines on camera β why the lines form, why they are filled slightly high at first, how much it hurts, and what the follow-up visit showed.
Dr. Jin Yi Han6 min read
5:39korean skin boosterKorean Skin Booster: How to Choose by Your Skin's Main Problem
There are so many Korean skin boosters that patients freeze. A Gangnam doctor sorts them by the four problems that matter β hydration, pores, inflammation and brightness β and names the one he would pick if he could only choose one.
Dr. Jong Seon Kim7 min read
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Visit us
Find Gangnam HERA
In Seocho-gu, Seoul, a three-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 9. Tap the map for directions.
Address
4F, 9 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Opening Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 10:00 AM β 7:00 PM; Monday, Friday: 10:00 AM β 8:00 PM; Saturday: 10:00 AM β 5:00 PM; Lunch break: 1:00 PM β 2:00 PM; Closed on Sundays and public holidays
