A PDO thread lift in Korea repositions sagging cheek and jaw tissue with barbed polydioxanone threads that dissolve, and in a 2018 series of 160 patients the visible lift had clearly faded by six months. Other research reports high satisfaction at the six-month mark, so the honest expectation is a modest, temporary change that varies from person to person, with side effects that need a follow-up visit before you fly.
Clinics in Korea
5 clinics for Thread lifts in Korea
| # | Clinic | Area | Languages | Devices & products | Listed price | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam | Gangnam Station | English · 中文 · 日本語 · Español | PDO thread lift · Ultherapy Prime · Thermage FLX · Sculptra | ₩200,000 | 4.9 (1,155) |
| 2 | Barog Clinic Seomyeon Station Branch | Seomyeon Station | English · 日本語 · 中文 · ไทย | Mint thread · Ultherapy Prime · Thermage FLX · Radiesse | ₩49,000 | 5.0 (93) |
| 3 | RE:BERRY Clinic Myeongdong | Myeongdong Station | English · 中文 · 日本語 · Español | PDO thread lift · Ultherapy Prime · Thermage FLX · Radiesse | ₩350,000 | 4.9 (1,091) |
| 4 | Dear Clinic | Cheongdam-dong | English · Español | Silhouette Soft · Ultherapy Prime · Thermage FLX · Sculptra | ₩100,000 | 4.9 (354) |
| 5 | Rewind Plastic Surgery | Nonhyeon-ro | English · Español | PDO thread lift · Ultherapy Prime · Thermage FLX · Sculptra | ₩50,000 | 5.0 (54) |
11. RE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam
★ 4.91,155 Google reviewsRE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam is a skin and aesthetic clinic a 2-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10, rated 4.9 from 1,155 Google reviews. It offers thread lifts alongside HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. Consultations are available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish; listed thread lifts prices start at ₩200,000 + VAT. Open every day, 10:00–20:00 including holidays, two minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 10.
Gangnam Station skin clinic built around five-language care
- Five-language desk
- Gallery-style interior
- Regenerative skin menu
- Board-certified dermatologists on staff
- Consultations in English, Japanese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Spanish through in-house interpreters.
- Offers 90 days of multilingual messenger follow-up after visitors return home.
Evening or holiday appointments · Non-English speakers wanting own language
- Location
- Gangnam Station (Line 2) Exit 10, 2 min walk
- Languages
- English · 中文 · 日本語 · Español
- Listed price
- From ₩200,000 + VAT
22. Barog Clinic Seomyeon Station Branch
★ 5.093 Google reviewsBarog Clinic Seomyeon Station Branch sits near Seomyeon Station, a skin and aesthetic clinic that holds a 5.0 Google rating across 93 reviews. Its menu covers thread lifts as well as HIFU lifting, Botox and fillers. Staff consult in English, Japanese, Chinese and Thai, and listed thread lifts prices start at ₩49,000 + VAT. Posted price boards apply equally to visitors and locals, with consultations in English, Chinese and Japanese.
Seomyeon filler and lifting clinic with open-vial transparency
- Filler-focused
- Transparent pricing
- Welcoming 2F lounge
- Every filler vial is unsealed at the chair in front of you, with lot numbers you can check.
- Its Mint PDO thread lift places barbed threads through a fine cannula along marked vectors under local anesthetic.
Lifting plans in Busan · Visitors wanting product transparency
- Location
- Seomyeon Station
- Languages
- English · 日本語 · 中文 · ไทย
- Listed price
- From ₩49,000 + VAT
33. RE:BERRY Clinic Myeongdong
★ 4.91,091 Google reviewsRE:BERRY Clinic Myeongdong runs a skin and aesthetic clinic near Myeongdong Station; its Google rating is 4.9 from 1,091 reviews. It offers thread lifts alongside HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. Staff consult in English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish, and its listed thread lifts price starts from ₩350,000 + VAT. It welcomes patients every day, 10:30 to 20:00 on weekdays and 10:30 to 19:00 on weekends.
Myeongdong flagship for lifting, glass skin and stem cell
- Flagship space
- Open every day
- Six languages
- The clinic is a 2-minute walk from Myeongdong Station Exit 8, on the 2nd and 3rd floors at 58 Myeongdong 10-gil.
- In-house medical interpreters assist in English, Japanese, Spanish, Thai and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Sunday appointments · Treatments between Myeongdong shopping
- Location
- Myeongdong Station (Line 4) / Euljiro-ipgu Station (Line 2)
- Languages
- English · 中文 · 日本語 · Español
- Listed price
- From ₩350,000 + VAT
44. Dear Clinic
★ 4.9354 Google reviewsDear Clinic is a skin and aesthetic clinic in Cheongdam-dong, rated 4.9 from 354 Google reviews. Its menu covers thread lifts as well as HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. It consults in English and Spanish; listed thread lifts prices start at ₩100,000 + VAT. Open every day of the year, with English consultation and WhatsApp booking before you fly.
Scan-first Cheongdam lifting clinic, open every day
- Lifting-focused
- 3D scan first
- Warm-luxury interior
- Filler menu extends beyond the face to earlobe, shoulder line and hip dip areas.
- The clinic lists five thread types: HYKO for the nose, Silhouette Soft, Blue Rose, Jamber and Mint Lift.
Short trips needing weekend slots · Filler beyond lips and chin
- Location
- Cheongdam-dong
- Languages
- English · Español
- Listed price
- From ₩100,000 + VAT
55. Rewind Plastic Surgery
★ 5.054 Google reviewsRewind Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery clinic in Nonhyeon-ro, rated 5.0 from 54 Google reviews. It offers thread lifts alongside plastic surgery, HIFU lifting and RF lifting. Staff consult in English and Spanish, and listed thread lifts prices start at ₩50,000 + VAT. Its thread lifting menu has PDO threads, PCL threads, Elasticum and a no-incision lift that anchors threads to the fascia.
Apgujeong lifting surgery clinic with a skin-care side
- Surgical lifting
- Same surgeon throughout
- Calm, private floors
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Interpreter-assisted consultations via WhatsApp or Instagram, with English-subtitled doctor explainer videos.
- Menu centres on facelift, neck lift, double-chin liposuction and eyelid surgery.
Visitors weighing surgical vs device lifting · Jawline and neck concerns
- Location
- Nonhyeon-ro
- Languages
- English · Español
- Listed price
- From ₩50,000 + VAT
Prices
Thread lifts cost in Korea
Prices below come from the listed clinics' own price lists, before VAT. 10% VAT is added at payment.
Thread lifts
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $36–$95₩49,000–₩130,000 + VATCompare clinicsPDO thread (per thread)
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $36₩50,000 + VATCompare clinicsPDO/PCL thread — per thread
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $73₩100,000 + VATCompare clinicsPCL thread (per thread)
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $73₩100,000 + VATCompare clinicsThread Lift 1 Thread
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $145₩200,000 + VATCompare clinicsJamber Thread Lift 4 Threads
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $255₩350,000 + VATCompare clinicsShort-Cog Thread Lift 2 Threads
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $291₩400,000 + VATCompare clinicsSilhouette Soft thread — per thread
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $291₩400,000 + VATCompare clinicsGuide
The study that found the lift gone within a year
Bertossi and colleagues looked back at 160 consecutive patients treated with barbed polydioxanone threads and published the results in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2018. Faces looked better straight after placement and stayed that way for about a month. By six months the improvement had dropped noticeably, and at one year the authors could no longer see it.
In that 2018 series, early problems were common: 55 of the 160 patients, or 34%, had at least one. The authors concluded that barbed threads suit people who cannot or should not have a more invasive facelift, rather than everyone who wants a lift. It was one team's retrospective review, not a verdict on every product.
- A thread shifting toward the surface: 18 patients
- Short-lived redness: 15 patients
- Infection: 10 patients
- Skin dimpling: 10 patients
- Temporary facial stiffness: 2 patients
Guide
A larger series that reported rising satisfaction
A prospective chart study by Rezaee Khiabanloo and colleagues in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2018 followed 193 people, average age about 52, who received absorbable suspension threads: a double-needle barbed product and Silhouette Soft cones. The jawline was the area treated most often. Patients and two surgeons rated the result on a global improvement scale at one week and at one, three and six months.
In that study, patient satisfaction went from 94% in the first week to 99% at six months, and complications were described as minor. It stopped at six months, though, and measured how pleased people were rather than how far tissue moved.
Guide
Why the two results point in different directions
The papers are less contradictory than they look. One asked whether a doctor could still see the lift at twelve months; the other asked whether people felt their face had improved at six. A face can look fresher to its owner after the visible pull has softened.
| Point | Bertossi, 2018 | Rezaee Khiabanloo, 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Looking back at records | Following patients forward |
| People | 160 | 193 |
| Threads | Barbed polydioxanone only | Double-needle barbed threads and cone threads |
| Longest check | One year | Six months |
| How judged | Visible correction of sagging | Improvement scores from patients and surgeons |
| Main message | Lift fades by one year | Satisfaction rises up to six months |
Guide
Thread gauge and count per side: the numbers in a PDO plan
The Bertossi paper is useful for something else: it spells out a dose. Two or three 23-gauge threads per side were placed for the cheek and the fold beside the nose, and two to four thicker 21-gauge threads per side for the jaw line. Ask a clinic for the same detail so plans can be compared line by line.
Product names add another layer. Searches for ace pdo thread lift korea refer to a branded thread, and a brand alone does not say whether the thread is barbed, coiled or smooth, how thick it is, or how many will go in. Keep a photo of the sealed packet.
Guide
Who the evidence suits, and who it does not
Read together, the two studies favor people with mild sagging who want a short-term refresh, accept that it fades and may plan a repeat session. People with heavy jowls or a lot of loose skin may be better served by a surgical opinion, which is the group Bertossi and colleagues felt threads served least well. Pregnancy, facial infection or a bleeding problem mean waiting.
Since one in three patients in the retrospective series had an early problem, build at least one review visit into the trip. A shifted thread is easier to fix where it was placed.
Evidence
Research behind this page
- Effectiveness, Longevity, and Complications of Facelift by Barbed Suture InsertionAesthetic Surgery Journal · 2018 · doi:10.1093/asj/sjy042
In 160 patients treated with barbed PDO threads, the improvement faded noticeably by six months and was absent at one year, and 34% had an early complication.
- Outcomes in thread lift for face and neck: A study performed with Silhouette Soft and Promo Happy Lift double needle, innovative and classic techniquesJournal of Cosmetic Dermatology · 2018 · doi:10.1111/jocd.12745
Among 193 patients given absorbable suspension threads and followed for six months, patient and surgeon satisfaction scores rose over time and complications were minor.
FAQ
Questions about Thread lifts in Korea
Which clinics offer Thread lifts in Korea?
Clinics offering Thread lifts in Korea include RE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam (Gangnam Station), Barog Clinic Seomyeon Station Branch (Seomyeon Station), RE:BERRY Clinic Myeongdong (Myeongdong Station), Dear Clinic (Cheongdam-dong) and Rewind Plastic Surgery (Nonhyeon-ro). Each lists Thread lifts on its own menu; message the clinic directly to confirm the doctor, product and current price.
Will a PDO lift still show a year after treatment?
Probably not in the way it looks in the first month. In the 2018 Aesthetic Surgery Journal series by Bertossi and colleagues, the correction was clear for about four weeks, had faded by six months and could not be seen at twelve. Some people still feel their skin looks fresher after that. Results vary from person to person, so plan for a temporary change and ask the doctor when a top-up usually makes sense.
How many PDO threads does one side of the face need?
It depends on the zone and the thread thickness, but published plans give a sense of scale. One 2018 study used two or three fine 23-gauge threads per side for the cheek area and two to four 21-gauge threads per side along the jaw. A clinic should write the count and gauge for each zone before treatment. That plan also makes quotes from different clinics easier to compare fairly.
Is it normal for a thread to shift under the skin?
It happens, and it was the most frequent early problem in one series, affecting 18 of 160 patients. A shifted thread may form a visible line or a ridge, or an end may be felt near the surface. Contact the treating clinic rather than pressing or pulling on it. Doctors can often reposition, trim or remove the thread, which is easier while you are still in the country.
Do cone threads and barbed PDO threads feel different afterward?
They can, because cones grip tissue differently from small cut or molded barbs. The 2018 prospective study by Rezaee Khiabanloo and colleagues used both a double-needle barbed product and cone threads and reported minor complications overall. Soreness when chewing and tightness near entry points are typical with either for several days. Ask which design is planned and what sensations to expect in the first week.
When can I judge whether my threads worked?
Give it about a month. Swelling in the first days adds fullness that can be mistaken for lift, and early bruising hides the real contour. The prospective study that tracked patients at one week and at one, three and six months found ratings kept improving across that period. Take photos in the same light before treatment and at each stage, which makes your own judgment far more reliable.
Can I fly home soon after PDO threads are placed?
Many people do fly within a few days, but leaving room for one review visit is sensible. In the retrospective series of 160 patients, about a third had an early problem such as a shifted thread, redness, infection or dimpling. Most of these can be managed quickly when spotted early. Keep the written plan and product name so a doctor at home knows exactly what was placed.