Korean Skin Booster: How to Choose by Your Skin's Main Problem

I'm Dr. Jong Seon Kim, a director at Gangnam HERA in Seoul and a board member of the Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery and the International Petit Medical Society. Skin boosters are injectable solutions that address specific skin problems — and there are now so many types and products that patients understandably get confused. In this video I tried to end that confusion by sorting skin boosters around four problems.

My short answer: pick a Korean skin booster by your skin's main problem — hydration, pores, inflammation or brightness. If I could only pick one, it would be Rejuran.

How should I choose a Korean skin booster?

Start from your skin condition, not from the product name. When I choose a skin booster, the patient's skin is what I weigh most, and the problems fall into four broad groups:

1. Hydration — skin that is dry, dull and losing its bounce.
2. Pores — enlarged pores, including pore scarring after acne.
3. Inflammation — red, active acne and irritation.
4. Brightness — dull or uneven tone.

Most people have more than one, but one usually bothers them most. That is the one to treat first.

When two problems compete, I usually settle inflammation before anything else. Active inflammation enlarges pores, leaves marks and reddens the skin, so treating pores or tone on top of it is like painting a wall that is still damp. Once the skin is calm, hydration, pores and brightness respond better. In consultation I ask simple questions: what bothers you first when you see your skin in daylight, are you breaking out right now, and how much time do you have in Seoul?

If you want the shorter version of this idea, why one well-chosen Korean skin booster is usually enough makes the same case.

Which skin booster helps dry, dehydrated skin?

Rejuran is the representative skin booster for hydration. Water is the foundation of skin. It keeps the barrier intact and keeps skin firm and bright, and it is often what is most lacking. The Rejuran family comes in several versions — Rejuran Healer, Rejuran HB and Rejuran I:

• Rejuran Healer is what I typically recommend when the face has lost a lot of moisture.
• Rejuran I is made for the delicate eye area.
• Healer and Rejuran I together — mixing them gives the strongest sense of hydration I see in practice.

For a deeper look at how polynucleotides work, see our Rejuran polynucleotide skin booster guide.

Which skin booster helps enlarged pores?

For pores I recommend Juvelook — and the effect is much stronger when it is combined with Potenza. Pore stress is extremely common. Normal pores can widen in summer as sweat and oil increase, and when acne or inflammation has been present for a long time, pores can scar and become larger still.

Juvelook is a collagen-stimulating material that comes as a powder. Because a powder can't be injected directly, it is hydrated in saline first, then injected. To improve pores further, I combine it with Potenza:

• Potenza uses needles to create very fine, controlled micro-injuries. When the skin receives these small injuries, it responds with a drive to regenerate.
• Juvelook goes in at the same time, and as the skin recovers, collagen is boosted.

Together, pores can tighten and skin gains firmness. One of our creator patients describes this combination in a Potenza and Juvelook patient review, and another shares her experience in a Juvelook review for large pores and acne scars.

Which skin booster helps red, inflamed skin?

For inflammation, my choice is an exosome booster. Inflammation makes everything else worse: it enlarges pores, leaves scars and turns skin tone red. Exosomes help reduce inflammation and also support skin regeneration. When someone has red, active acne, exosome treatment can calm the inflammation and help the skin recover noticeably faster.

Acne itself needs a proper assessment, and a booster is only part of the plan. If you are weighing exosomes, whether exosome treatment in Korea is worth it covers the questions to ask.

Is there a skin booster for brightness?

Yes — although lasers and toning are still the main tools for pigmentation, there are boosters that brighten tone immediately while adding hydration. Since the topic here is skin boosters, I mentioned one I have been using a lot recently: it makes the complexion visibly brighter right away and replenishes moisture at the same time — honestly, it is a bit of a secret weapon for me. Brightness from a booster is a quick, supportive effect; for pigment such as melasma or sun spots, a laser plan is usually still needed, and I will tell you which you need.

If you could only pick one skin booster, which would it be?

Rejuran. It is a tough choice, but I would choose it. I said Rejuran is especially good for hydration, but it is derived from salmon DNA, and it is full of the DNA-based building blocks that damaged skin needs to recover. So it helps not only with hydration but with inflammation, regeneration and brightness as well. Because it combines all of those functions, it is my one pick.

That said, there is no single correct skin booster for everyone. Choosing the one that addresses your most important problem first is the best answer.

What does a skin booster session at HERA involve?

A doctor looks at your skin first, then we decide which concern to treat and with which booster. Numbing cream is applied before injection, and most boosters take a short session. Small bumps, redness or tiny bruises at injection points can appear and usually settle within a few days, so most visitors keep their sightseeing plans; when microneedling such as Potenza is added, redness can last a little longer. Most boosters work best as a short series, so tell us your travel dates and we will plan sessions around them. International patients pay the same as local patients, with an English interpreter throughout.

The honest limits

Skin boosters improve skin quality; they don't lift sagging skin or replace treatment of active skin disease. Results build over sessions and differ between people, and I can't promise a particular outcome before seeing your skin. If what you see in the mirror is really laxity, a lifting treatment may be the better first step — and if you are unsure whether you need a booster at all, I would rather tell you honestly.

There are many more skin boosters than the ones in this video. If you have questions about any of them, leave a comment or message us, and I'll answer.