REPIC Clinic Myeongdong — Dermatology Clinic
Wrinkles
Lines that appear only when you move are a muscle issue. Lines that stay when your face is still are a skin or volume issue. Treating them the same way is the most common wrinkle mistake.
What usually causes it
- 01
Expression lines (forehead, frown, crow's feet)
Muscles fold the skin the same way thousands of times. Early on the line vanishes at rest; later it stays. Relaxing the muscle is the direct fix.
How we tell them apart
- The line is much deeper when you frown, raise your brows or smile
- It mostly disappears when your face is still
- Forehead, between the brows, around the eyes
What we'd suggest, by cause
Wrinkle Botox
Dose and placement are set by how your face actually moves.
- 02
Fine dry lines
Shallow lines from thin, dehydrated skin: under the eyes, on the cheeks, around the mouth. These need water and collagen in the skin, not muscle relaxation.
How we tell them apart
- Lots of very fine lines rather than a few deep ones
- Worse when skin is dry, better after a good moisturizer
- Show when you smile and stay faintly at rest
What we'd suggest, by cause
Skin Botox
Very shallow injection that smooths the surface without freezing expression.
Rejuran Healer
Belotero Revive
- 03
Deep static lines and creases
Lines etched in at rest, often with lost volume under them. Relaxing the muscle does little at this stage. Support from below is needed.
How we tell them apart
- There at rest, unchanged by expression
- You can feel a groove with a fingertip
- The area around it looks flatter or sunken
What we'd suggest, by cause
3D Design Filler
Sculptra / Juvelook
Slower, builds the skin's own support.
Radiesse
- 04
Neck lines
Horizontal neck bands from posture, phones and thin neck skin. They behave differently from face lines and need their own approach.
How we tell them apart
- Horizontal rings across the neck
- Deeper when you look down
- Neck skin is crepey between the lines
What we'd suggest, by cause
Diagnosis comes first
What we look for first is whether the line is there at rest. Then how deep it is, and whether the skin around it is thin and dry or the area under it has lost volume. Forehead, frown and crow's feet lines are usually muscle. Cheek and mouth lines usually are not.
At the Myeongdong clinic a consultant goes through your concern with you, and the Mark-Vu/Meta-Vu scan and report set the plan from there.
Good to know
- Expression lines treated early stay movement lines. Left for years they etch in and need filler as well.
- Botox does not work on the day. Give it time before the event you are planning for.
- A frozen look usually comes from using muscle relaxant on lines that are not muscle. Sorting the line type first avoids that.
Common questions
Botox or filler?
Botox for lines that come with movement. Filler or a collagen booster for lines that stay still. Both when a line started as muscle and has now etched in.
Will I look frozen?
The frozen look usually comes from too much, or from the wrong target. Matching the dose to how your face actually moves is the point of the exam.
Any downtime for a traveler?
Botox and skin boosters: close to none, maybe small marks. Filler: possible bruising. Nothing here needs you to stay in Seoul longer.
Other concerns
Results vary from person to person. A doctor decides on treatment after examining you, and nothing on this page is a promise of outcome.