A doctor’s perspective · English edition
What happens at a first consultation at a Korean skin clinic?
A first visit is mostly a conversation. It goes better when you know who does which part of it.
Dr. Jee Hoon JuInternational Director / Aesthetic Medicine Physician7 min read · Sources includedReviewed by Dr. Kwang Yeon Kim and Dr. Seung Yeon Cha
The short answer
What happens at a first consultation at a Korean skin clinic?
Arrangements differ from clinic to clinic, so ask yours when you book what the visit will involve. Usually there is a short registration, then time with the doctor, who looks at your skin and asks about your history and goals. Some clinics also have a consultation coordinator who goes through options and prices; a coordinator is not the doctor, and treatment decisions belong with the doctor. Korean law requires medical staff to wear name tags and requires clinics to make fees outside national health insurance easy for patients to know. You are free to leave with the plan in writing and decide later.
Want to ask about this guide?
Send a message on WhatsApp. It opens with this guide’s title so the reply can start from it. Please don’t send medical records or photos.
Message on WhatsAppOpens WhatsApp. A message is not a medical consultation or diagnosis.
Who you are likely to meet.
How a visit is organised is an arrangement each clinic makes, so confirm yours when you book. Reception opens a record and will ask what it needs to identify you and reach you; ask in advance which documents to bring. Ask too whether the clinic works with a consultation coordinator, who in some clinics talks with you about what brought you in and goes through options, session counts and prices. Whatever the arrangement, the doctor is the one who examines your skin, asks the medical questions and proposes the plan.
Article 4 of the Medical Service Act requires medical staff to wear name tags so patients can tell who is providing care. Read them. If you are not sure whether you are talking to the doctor or a coordinator, ask; it is a normal question.
National Law Information Center · Ministry of Government LegislationWhat the doctor needs from you.
Bring a short written list: medicines you take, allergies, past skin treatments and roughly when, any reaction you have had to a treatment before, and anything planned in the weeks after your trip such as beach days or more flights. Say clearly what you want to change and what you are not willing to accept, for example visible redness at a wedding next week.
The clinic may ask to photograph your skin for the record. If it does, ask what the photographs will be used for, how they are stored, whether they could be used for anything else such as marketing, and whether you can have copies.
The plan, the price and the paperwork.
Article 45 of the Medical Service Act covers fees for care outside national health insurance: clinics must make those fees easy for patients to know, and may not charge more than the amount they notified. Ask the clinic whether your treatment falls outside insurance, then ask to see the fee for each item in the plan and what a session includes.
UK NHS guidance advises asking about the procedure, the products used and what could go wrong, and says you should be offered a cooling-off period after a consultation. It also suggests knowing who will actually give the treatment. You can ask for the plan in writing and take it away. Under Article 21 you can also ask for copies of your own records.
- What the doctor thinks the plan can realistically change.
- Each treatment’s name, number of sessions and interval.
- Products or devices to be used, by name.
- Common side effects and what recovery looks like.
- The fee per item and what is included.
Leaving without booking is fine.
Same-day treatment can be convenient on a short trip, and some travellers plan for it. It is still your decision, and a good clinic will not rush it. NHS advice on treatment abroad warns against meeting only sales staff; if the conversation that decides your treatment happens without the doctor in the room, ask for the doctor to come back.
NHSFor the first consultation
What travelers ask
The questions behind the search.
Many Korean skin clinics have staff who explain options, schedules and prices. They help with logistics. Questions about whether a treatment suits your skin and what could go wrong are for the doctor.
Korean law requires clinics to make non-covered fees easy for patients to know and not to charge more than the notified amount. Ask for the fee for each item before you agree.
Official guidanceNo. NHS guidance says you should be offered a cooling-off period after a consultation. On a short trip you may choose same-day treatment, and that choice stays yours.
Official guidanceBring these with you
Questions to ask at your consultation
Pick the questions you want to raise, then save them or open them in text translation.
Want to ask about this guide?
Send a message on WhatsApp. It opens with this guide’s title so the reply can start from it. Please don’t send medical records or photos.
Message on WhatsAppOpens WhatsApp. A message is not a medical consultation or diagnosis.
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This guide stays free to read. An account gives you access to the app.About the author
Dr. Jee Hoon Ju
International Director / Aesthetic Medicine Physician
A doctor’s perspective on asking clearer questions before, during and after care in Korea.
Author profileSources & further reading
Checked September 18, 2026. Official sources describe rules and services as published; confirm current details with the provider before you rely on them.
- National Law Information Center · Ministry of Government LegislationMedical Service Act, Article 4 (Korean text) Paragraph 5: heads of medical institutions must have medical personnel wear name tags so patients can tell who is providing care; exceptions include emergencies and operating rooms. Korean text; our translation.
- National Law Information Center · Ministry of Government LegislationMedical Service Act, Article 45 (Korean text) Institutions must make non-covered fees easy for patients to know, must post certificate fees, and may not charge more than the amounts notified or posted. Korean text; our translation.
- National Law Information Center · Ministry of Government LegislationMedical Service Act, Article 21 (Korean text) A patient may ask to inspect or copy records about themselves; the request may not be refused without a justifiable reason. Korean text; our translation.
- NHSBefore you have a cosmetic procedure Ask about the procedure, the products used and what could go wrong; a cooling-off period after consultation; understand all costs including aftercare and future maintenance.
- NHSChoosing who will do your cosmetic procedure Published 2023-06-23 · Ask how many procedures they have done and their qualifications; for botulinum toxin know who the prescriber is and who gives the treatment.
- NHSCosmetic surgery abroad Published 2022-12-14 · Written for surgery: two consultations, meet the surgeon rather than only sales staff, a language you understand, where follow-up happens, travel insurance limits, do not lie in the sun or go in the water straight after.