Most people are probably unaware of this issue.

 

That’s because it doesn’t really apply to those living in Korea, and unless you’ve experienced visiting a Korean dermatology clinic as a foreigner, you likely wouldn’t know about it.

 

🔹 What Korean dermatology clinics look like from a foreigner’s perspective

Source: Asia Economy

 

South Korea is known as one of the most affordable countries in the world for dermatological procedures—even cheaper than many Southeast Asian countries with lower living costs, and roughly one-third the cost compared to neighboring Japan.

 

Because of this, Korea handles a large volume of cases and is considered one of the most technically advanced countries in the field.

 

As a result, more and more international tourists are choosing to get dermatological treatments while visiting Korea.

 

📌 Image unrelated to this article – shown as an example of overcharging practices

 

However, because foreign patients are often unfamiliar with Korea’s healthcare system and dermatology treatments, unfortunately, the structure of some clinics makes it easier to overcharge foreigners.

 

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🔹 How do clinics overcharge foreigners?

 

1. Separate pricing for locals and foreigners

• Clinic B: 140–170% of local prices

• Clinic G: 130–150%

• Clinic O: 130–150%

• Clinic L: 130–150%

 

Even among the clinics I personally know, the price difference ranges from a minimum of 1.3x up to 1.7x.

 

However, many foreign patients don’t realize they’re being overcharged because—even with inflated prices—Korean procedures are still significantly cheaper than in their home countries.

 

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2. Selling unnecessary treatments

For example, treatments like Ultherapy, Thermage, or even Botox use the exact same machines and tips, yet the cost in Korea is less than half of what it is abroad.

 

Leveraging this, some clinic coordinators will try to upsell by saying things like:

 

“Ultherapy costs ○○ in your country, but here it’s less than half! Since you’re already here, why not get this and that as well?”

 

In reality, the price of Ultherapy or Thermage overseas is at least double compared to Korea—and even Botox can cost over 10 times more in other countries.

 

In Korea, dermatology services are easily accessible, so domestic patients tend to be well-informed.

 

On the other hand, many international visitors may not know exactly what their skin needs, and often accept whatever is recommended.

 

As a result, high-margin and high-priced procedures are frequently suggested, and patients may end up purchasing treatments they don’t actually need.

 

(I’ve even seen cases where pico-toning was recommended to Black patients, which is medically questionable.)

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🔹 Why is there a price difference?

 

Of course, taking advantage of information asymmetry to overcharge foreign patients is an act of betrayal to those who choose to visit Korea for care.

 

However, there are some logistical reasons why foreigner pricing may differ:

 

• Hiring multilingual staff for interpretation

• Creating translated materials and dedicated marketing for foreign patients

• Paying agency commissions that often exceed 30% for international client referrals

 

Due to these added costs, clinics cannot pass them on to local patients—so a separate pricing system for foreigners is often used.

Source: MBC News

 

However, this issue isn’t limited to dermatology clinics—it’s a structure that applies to restaurants, shopping malls, and many other businesses as well.

 

That said, just because it’s a dermatology clinic doesn’t mean charging foreigners more should be justified.

 

If higher pricing for foreigners is truly unavoidable, then at the very least, the clinic should clearly disclose any price differences in advance so that international patients are aware and can make informed decisions.

 

At our clinic, we also serve many international patients.

 

Naturally, we maintain the same pricing for both domestic and foreign clients.

 

We would never overcharge those who trust us enough to visit—we believe that kind of behavior is unacceptable.

There are indeed laws in place against such unfair practices, but in reality, actual enforcement or penalties are extremely rare.

 

As a Korean, I’ve always been proud of my country.

Thanks to globally recognized K-DRAMAs, K-POP, K-FOOD, Samsung, and other world-class artists and companies, Korea has built a positive and respected image worldwide.

I sincerely hope that a few unethical dermatology clinics do not tarnish that reputation.

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✅ 3 Key Takeaways

 

1. Korea has some of the highest-quality dermatology treatments in the world—at the lowest prices.

2. However, there’s an "information asymmetry" where foreign patients are shown different price lists and pushed toward higher-cost procedures.

3. No matter how high the cost of foreign marketing may be, overcharging or scamming international patients is never justifiable.

 

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I truly hope this article provides helpful insight to many people.

 

If you have any questions regarding treatments, feel free to drop a “like” or comment below—I’ll be happy to answer them directly.

 

Thank you!

 

📍 Primi Clinic
3F, 52 Seongsuil-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea