“Salmon Sperm Facial”? What Korean PDRN Really Is
Dr. Kim Jong Seon · Filler Specialist7 min readOn this page
Korean PDRN is polydeoxyribonucleotide: short DNA fragments purified from salmon or trout sperm, sold in Korea as pharmacy skincare and, in clinics, injected as a skin booster meant to support repair and hydration. At HERA, the injectable people usually mean is a polynucleotide (PN) booster made from purified salmon DNA, and the specialist who examines your skin injects it personally, from a sealed vial opened in front of you. If you're fitting it into a short trip, the usual worry is the flight home, because a session often leaves small bumps on the face for a day or so.
The change it can bring is gradual: better hydration, finer texture and more resilience in thin skin, built over weeks and usually over more than one session. It won't lift a sagging jawline or fill a deep fold, and knowing that before you book saves a wasted appointment.
If you're weighing a booster for an upcoming trip, send two things on WhatsApp: a daylight photo of your bare face and the dates you'll be in Seoul.
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Send us your question or a photo on WhatsApp and we will reply in English.
What is the difference between PDRN, PN and Rejuran?
All three come from salmon DNA and differ mainly in fragment length. PDRN uses shorter fragments, PN keeps longer chains, and Rejuran is a PN brand, the one listed on HERA's treatment menu.
Length changes behaviour. A review in Pharmaceutics comparing PN and PDRN describes PDRN as working mainly through signalling at adenosine A2A receptors, which is why it was first studied for slow-healing wounds. The longer PN chains also bind water and form a viscous gel in the tissue, so they add a physical scaffold as well as a signal. Research on impaired wound healing is where much of the PDRN story began, years before it reached beauty counters.
Online, and in Seoul too, the word PDRN gets used loosely for the whole family. When a clinic or a product says salmon DNA, it's fair to ask which one it actually contains.
Do Korean pharmacy PDRN creams do the same thing as an injection?
No. A cream stays mostly on the surface, while an injection places the material in the dermis, where the skin's repair cells work.
Healthy skin is good at keeping big molecules out. The 500 Dalton rule in dermatology holds that compounds much heavier than about 500 daltons pass through intact skin poorly, and DNA fragments are far heavier than that. Korean PDRN skincare can still be a pleasant moisturiser, and plenty of people like how their skin feels with it. It simply can't deliver the same material to the same depth as a needle.
| Form | Where it acts | Realistic expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy cream, serum or balm | Skin surface | Moisturising feel; limited penetration |
| PN or PDRN injection (skin booster) | Dermis | Gradual change in hydration and texture over a series |
| PDRN eye drops (seen in searches) | Eye surface | An eye product; a question for an ophthalmologist |
Buying both is fine. Treat the jar as skincare and the injection as a medical procedure with its own risks.
Who is a good candidate for a PDRN-type booster?
People with thin, dehydrated or crepey skin, fine texture lines, or skin that feels slow to recover tend to fit best. If your main concern is volume loss or sagging, a different tool usually works better.
The deciding question is where the problem sits. A line that softens when you lie back or lift the cheek with a fingertip is mostly a support problem in the tissue underneath. A fine crosshatch that stays put when the face is at rest, or skin that creases like tissue paper when pinched lightly, is a skin-quality problem, and that second kind is where DNA-based boosters have a role.
Who it tends to suit:
- Fine, papery texture on the cheeks or around the eyes
- Dehydrated skin that feels tight even with a good moisturiser
- Early fine lines without much laxity
- Uneven texture after acne, as one part of a wider plan
Who should usually wait or choose differently:
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding: elective injections are generally postponed
- Active acne, cold sores or infection in the treatment area
- Deep folds or jowls, which a booster won't change
Alternatives depend on the concern. For sagging, lifting treatments such as Titanium Lifting are the usual conversation. For collagen-building in thinner cheeks there is Juvelook, a PDLLA booster, and for surface hydration the hyaluronic-acid Aqua Glow injection. Under-eye hollowing has its own limits, covered in what Rejuran can and can't change under the eyes, and if brown spots are the real issue, pigmentation treatment is a separate plan.
What a booster appointment at HERA involves
HERA describes foreign-patient visits as one-stop, from diagnosis to treatment in a single visit, with an English interpreter by your side. Consultations are by appointment, so message ahead and an English-speaking coordinator can be ready when you arrive.
A visit for a salmon-DNA booster runs in this order:
- Consultation with the specialist, with the interpreter present, to agree on the area and whether a booster is the right tool at all.
2. 3. Numbing, commonly a topical anaesthetic cream, before booster injections. 4. The injection itself, by the doctor who examined you, from a sealed vial opened in front of you. 5. Aftercare guidance for your stay in Seoul before you leave.
One session is a start, not the whole course. For a traveller, that usually means one session on this trip and the rest on a later visit, so plan with that in mind.
Who performs it and what goes into your skin
The specialist who consults with you performs the treatment, and it isn't handed off to someone else. HERA's medical team is three board-certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Kim Jong Seon, Dr. Lee Jong Hoon and Dr. Han Jin Yi.
The clinic's stated standards are genuine, approved products with the sealed vial opened in front of you, strict sterilization and single-use disposables, and only what is necessary. The sealed vial matters more than it sounds: you can read the product name on the label before anything touches your skin, which settles the PDRN-or-PN question on the spot.
Dr. Kim Jong Seon is a Board Member of the Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery (KSAS), a Board Member of the International Petit Medical Society, and a Full Member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
How long do the bumps last, and when can you fly?
Most people see small raised bumps at the injection points that settle within a day or so, with some redness and possibly pinpoint bruises that can take up to a week to fade. Avoid booking a session on the day before your flight.
- Same day: bumps, redness and mild tenderness; most people skip makeup on the treated area that day.
- By day 3: bumps have usually flattened; a bruise may still show but can generally be covered.
- By day 7: most visible marks are gone; any skin-quality change builds over the following weeks.
Before you fly
Avoid a session the day before departure. An extra day or two in Seoul gives time for anything unexpected to be looked at by the doctor who treated you, before you're home.
Common advice after skin booster injections is to skip saunas, hard workouts and alcohol for a day or two, and to keep from rubbing or massaging the treated area.
Side effects and risks
The common effects are temporary: bumps, swelling, redness, bruising and tenderness at the injection points. Less often, small lumps or redness last longer than expected. Rarely, infection or an allergic reaction can occur, which is one reason a fish allergy needs mentioning beforehand. The 2024 systematic review reported adverse events as mostly mild and short-lived, but individual responses differ, and whether a booster suits you is decided at the in-person exam.
If your dates are fixed, send them on WhatsApp along with a photo of the area you'd treat.
Book a consultation
Send us your question or a photo on WhatsApp and we will reply in English.
Visiting HERA in Gangnam
HERA is at 4F, 9 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 9. Hours are Monday and Friday 10:00–20:00, Tuesday to Thursday 10:00–19:00 and Saturday 10:00–17:00, with a lunch break from 13:00 to 14:00; the clinic is closed on Sundays and public holidays. If you land on a Saturday evening, Monday is the earliest day for a session, so count that into your plan.
The clinic is registered with Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare to receive foreign patients. You can read the directors' backgrounds on the doctor page or browse other treatments from HERA's English homepage.
The simplest first step is one message on WhatsApp: a daylight photo of the area that bothers you and one line on what you'd like to change. You'll hear whether a salmon-DNA booster such as Rejuran fits that concern or another treatment fits it better, and which days of your Seoul trip to keep free.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1Is PDRN the same as Rejuran?
They come from the same source, purified salmon DNA, but differ in fragment length. PDRN uses shorter fragments, while Rejuran is a polynucleotide (PN) product with longer chains that also hold water in the skin. In Korea, people often say PDRN for both, so it's reasonable to ask which product a clinic is using.Q2Can I buy PDRN injections at a Korean pharmacy and use them myself?
What Korean pharmacies sell for the public is topical skincare: creams, serums and balms. Injectable boosters are a medical procedure and should be given by a doctor, who checks the skin, the injection depth and your medical history first. Self-injecting carries real risks of infection and lumps.Q3How many PDRN or PN booster sessions do I need?
Published studies generally use a series of sessions spaced several weeks apart, and a single session is usually a start. For visitors, the practical plan is often one session per trip. How many make sense for your skin is decided after the doctor examines it.Q4Does a salmon DNA injection hurt?
Booster injections involve many small needle passes, so most people feel stinging rather than sharp pain. A topical numbing cream is commonly applied beforehand to take the edge off. The skin can feel tender for a day afterwards.Q5Can I combine a PDRN-type booster with other treatments on the same trip?
Boosters are often discussed alongside lifting or hydration treatments, because they address skin quality rather than sagging or volume. Whether to combine them on the same day, and in what order, depends on your skin and your flight date.
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Your medical team
A Medical Team That Sees You Through, Start to Finish
Board-certified specialists who treat every patient like family — the same doctor guides you from your first consultation to your final result, aiming for natural beauty with minimal need for revision.
Dr. Kim Jong Seon
“I am a doctor you can trust, dedicated to enhancing your natural beauty.”
Career & Credentials
- Director, Gangnam HERA Plastic Surgery Clinic
- Board Member, Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery (KSAS)
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Dr. Lee Jong Hoon
“I dedicate myself to achieving the best results with minimal need for revision.”
Career & Credentials
- Co-author, LIFTINGOLOGY: Science and Clinical Practice in Aesthetic Medicine
- Recipient, Minister of Health and Welfare Award for Outstanding Contribution to National Health Improvement
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