Subcision for Acne Scars Gangnam, Seoul
Subcision answers tethered rolling scars, not narrow icepick pits, so RE:BERRY stretch-tests every acne scar first, sends the ones with a cord to the Nokor needle, and matches the rest to laser or RF microneedling, steps from Gangnam Station in Seoul.
Subcision for Acne Scars
Subcision
Scar-Type Matched Subcision ยท Gangnam Seoul
Subcision answers tethered rolling scars, not narrow icepick pits, so RE:BERRY stretch-tests every acne scar first, sends the ones with a cord to the Nokor needle, and matches the rest to laser or RF microneedling, steps from Gangnam Station in Seoul.
Across RE:BERRY Clinics
30,000+ Treatments
Direct Consult & Treatment
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Minutes from ICN Airport
Incheon AirportWhich acne scars does subcision actually fix, and which need something else?
Subcision is built for tethered depressions: the rolling scars, and some wider boxcars, that a cord anchors to the tissue below. Cut that cord and the surface lifts, then refills with collagen over two to six months. Narrow icepick pits and sharp-walled boxcars have no cord to release, so a needle passed under them does little; those go to fractional laser or, for the worst walls, a punch technique, while RF microneedling rebuilds a thin scar floor so a released scar holds. At RE:BERRY Gangnam a physician stretch-tests every scar first and tells you plainly which of yours subcision will reach and which it will not before anything is scheduled.
Effects & Progress
Effects & Progress
Each scar type is matched to its own tool at the stretch test: the Nokor needle for tethered rolling scars, laser or punch for the fixed pits, so a single device is never run blindly across a face that carries three kinds of scar at once.
Some lift is often visible on the table as the cord gives way. Firmness, mild swelling, and a tight feeling settle over the released rolling scars that evening; bruising begins to show the next day.
The bruising phase peaks around days two to four over the released zones, then lifts through the first week. Any laser or punch work on the fixed scars heals on its own separate clock of redness or crusting.
New collagen begins filling the freed pockets from below over the following weeks. The next release, or the first resurfacing pass for the pitted scars, is placed once this cycle settles, four to six weeks out.
The main correction phase. The released depressions keep rising as remodeling completes across two to six months, tracked with overlay photos, and response depth varies with scar type, scar age, and skin.
Treatment Process
Sorting Acne Scars by Type โ 4 Steps from Photo Triage to the 90-Day Track
โป Illustrative images are AI-generated to help explain the treatment process.Effects & Progress
Effects & Progress
Acne scarring is rarely one kind of scar, and that is the whole reason sorting comes first. A single cheek can carry soft rolling depressions held down by a cord, sharper boxcar edges, and narrow icepick pits, and they do not answer to the same tool. The physician stretch-tests each one, marks the tethered scars that shallow under tension for the Nokor needle, and routes the pits with no cord toward fractional laser or, for the deepest walls, a punch technique. Matching the device to the scar in front of it, rather than choosing one before the skin is even read, is what separates a subcision result that lands from one that wastes passes on marks it was never going to lift.
Cutting the cord lifts a rolling scar on the table, but a scar bed that is also thin on collagen can collapse back before the fill matures. That second problem is why a matched plan sometimes pairs two steps. The pocket left after release recruits fibroblasts to lay down fresh collagen over two to six months, and RF microneedling heats the dermis to rebuild the floor beneath, driving new collagen and elastin so the freed scar keeps its lift. The energy heats by tissue resistance and leaves melanin untouched, so it is used across skin tones, with a restrained setting for scar-prone phototypes. Whether a scar needs one step or two is decided at the stretch test, and the release and the rebuild are staged in the order the scar actually needs.
A scarred cheek is seldom just tethered dents. Enlarged pores, the rough texture of old icepick tracks, and post-acne redness usually sit alongside the depressions, and lifting only the rolling scars leaves the rest of the picture untouched. So the face is read as a whole: subcision handles the tethered scars, fractional laser or a punch method resurfaces the narrow and walled ones the needle cannot reach, RF microneedling refines pores and firms the floor, and calming aftercare quiets the redness that scar-prone skin tends to flare during healing. Each step is sequenced so a resurfacing pass never lands on skin still bruised from a release, and the mix is set to your scar map, never sold as a fixed package.
Healing is uneven and memory is generous, so scar work at RE:BERRY is documented rather than remembered. The physician counts every depression, sorts it into tethered or fixed, and photographs the map under standardized clinic lighting at the outset, and the plan, how many scars of each type, how many sessions, and the four-to-six-week spacing between releases, is confirmed in writing before anything begins, with the figure quoted after the stretch test once your scars have been seen. At each 90-day checkpoint the same overlay photos are compared side by side, so a depression that feels unchanged in a bathroom mirror can be shown clearly rising, and the same physician who felt the cords give way reads whether your correction is on track.
Treatment Process
Sorting Acne Scars by Type โ 4 Steps from Photo Triage to the 90-Day Track
โป Illustrative images are AI-generated to help explain the treatment process.
Why Sorting Scars by Type Changes the Result
- The stretch test tells you the truth up front: a scar that shallows under tension is tethered and answers to the needle, a scar that does not is fixed and is sent elsewhere, so you know before you pay which of your scars subcision will actually reach
- Rolling scars are subcision's home ground: a soft, saucer-shaped depression held down by a cord lifts cleanly once the cord is cut, and refills with your own collagen over the months after
- Boxcars split two ways: shallow ones with sloped edges often respond to a release, while sharp, steep-walled boxcars are routed to laser or a punch method that resurfaces the wall the needle cannot touch
- Icepick pits are named honestly, not oversold: these narrow, deep marks have no cord to cut, so RE:BERRY Gangnam sends them to fractional laser or punch work and says plainly that a needle will not fix them
- RF microneedling backs up the release, not replaces it: on a scar bed too thin to hold, heat-driven collagen rebuilds the floor so a freed scar does not sink back onto its old plane
- One physician reads the whole map: the doctor who stretch-tested each scar is the one who decides its tool, sets the treatment order, and reads every overlay photo against your own baseline
| Timeline | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Every depression is stretch-tested and sorted โ tethered scars marked for the needle, fixed pits and sharp boxcars routed to laser, punch, or RF microneedling, with the mix written down | |
| The tethered scars are released and some lift is often visible on the table; the fixed-type scars are handled on their own schedule so nothing overlaps a healing release | |
| The freed pocket begins refilling with collagen from below; the physician reviews overlay photos and places the next release, or the first resurfacing pass for the pitted scars | |
| The released rolling scars keep rising as remodeling completes, while the laser or punch work on the icepick and boxcar scars matures on its own separate clock |
Which Acne Scar Type Answers to Which Treatment in Gangnam
| Scar type | Subcision (RE:BERRY Gangnam) | Fractional Laser | Punch / RF Microneedling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling scar (soft, tethered) | Lead treatment โ the cord is cut and the surface lifts | Supporting, for surface texture only | RF microneedling adds a floor rebuild if the bed is thin |
| Shallow boxcar (sloped edge) | Often responds when a cord is present | Resurfaces the softened edge well | RF microneedling refines the wall over a series |
| Sharp boxcar (steep wall) | Little effect โ usually no cord to release | Primary tool for the wall | Punch technique for the deepest, defined walls |
| Icepick pit (narrow, deep) | Not the tool โ a needle passed under it does little | Primary tool for narrow pits | Punch excision for the deepest tracks |
| Passes the stretch test? | Yes โ shallows under tension | Not the sorting basis | Not the sorting basis |
| Where the correction comes from | Collagen filling the freed pocket over months | Resurfacing of the treated columns | New wall or a rebuilt dermal floor |
| Main after-effect | Bruising over the released area | Redness, then flaking as skin sheds | Redness and pinpoint marks or crusts |
| Typical role in a mixed-scar plan | Released first, so the surface is free to resurface later | Layered in once releases have settled | Staged to match the scar it is fixing |
Why This Matters
The reason one clinic's subcision result differs from another's often comes down to sorting, not skill with the needle. A face that carries rolling, boxcar, and icepick scars at once is common, and running a needle blindly under all of them wastes effort on the pits it cannot lift. RE:BERRY Gangnam sorts each depression by the stretch test first, so the โฉ300,000 (about $214) figure covers a plan matched to the scar types you actually have rather than a single technique sold as an answer for everything.
Seoul draws scar patients on cost, but the number only helps if the plan behind it fits your scars. Combination scar work here often runs well below equivalent multi-modality plans in the US and Australia, and RE:BERRY Gangnam sets the โฉ300,000 (about $214) quote after the physician has sorted your scars by type, so the figure reflects the tools your face needs and not a fixed package priced before your skin was read.
KHIDI's 2025 international patient survey found 41.4% of respondents rank keeping the same doctor throughout as their leading criterion. Scar sorting is where that pays off: the physician who felt which depressions shallowed under tension is the one who decides the order the types are treated in and reads whether each released scar has genuinely risen at your day-90 photos.
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How a Type-Matched Acne Scar Plan Is Quoted at RE:BERRY Gangnam
Your Medical Director
Dr. Yoon-Gon Ryu
- Medical Director, RE:BERRY Aesthetic Clinic Gangnam โ Korean MOHW Medical License No.131644
- Manufacturer-appointed KOL invited to teach injection and energy-device technique to Korean peers
- Regular Member, Korean Academy of Aesthetic Medicine
- Co-manages every case with Dr. Yejin Oh (Korean MOHW Medical License No.144238)
- Featured in Authority Magazine (2026)
Medically reviewed by Dr. Yoon-Gon Ryu, CEO / Medical Director, RE:BERRY
A Fourteen-Thousand-Square-Foot Hush Above Gangnam-daero
Step past the black gallery facade and the bustle of Gangnam-daero falls away. Fourteen thousand square feet of hushed corridors, marble installations, a cascading water feature and fully enclosed consultation suites โ arranged so you rarely cross paths with another guest, because our reservation-only diary keeps every hour deliberately underbooked.
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The Biology of Scar Types and Why the Tool Has to Match
Acne scars are not one problem with one solution. A rolling scar is a shallow, wide depression tied down by a band of fibrous tissue that runs from the dermis to the fascia below; the surface looks sunken because a cord is literally holding it there. A boxcar scar is a broader defect with a defined edge, sometimes tethered, often not. An icepick scar is a narrow, steep track that plunges deep into the dermis with no cord to cut. The stretch test at consultation is doing anatomy, not guesswork; a depression that shallows under tension has a tether, and that is the single feature that predicts whether subcision will help.
Where a tether exists, releasing it works on a wound-repair clock. The Nokor needle severs the fibrous septae, a small controlled pocket forms as the cords give way, and fibroblasts migrate into that space to lay down fresh collagen over the following weeks. That collagen fill is why the correction keeps building for two to six months and does not finish on the table. A scar bed that is thin on collagen, though, can drift back onto its old plane before the fill matures, and that re-tethering risk is where energy support earns its place.
Hantash BM, Ubeid AA, Chang H, Kafi R, Renton B. Bipolar fractional radiofrequency treatment induces neoelastogenesis and neocollagenesis. Lasers Surg Med. 2009;41(1):1-9. doi:10.1002/lsm.20731
Radiofrequency microneedling is the tool that rebuilds a thin scar floor after a release. Bipolar fractional RF drives both new collagen and new elastin during repair, so a freed scar bed regains the density it needs to hold its lift. The energy heats by tissue resistance and leaves pigment untouched, so it works across skin tones. A restrained, multiple-pass, moderate-energy technique is chosen deliberately for scar-prone and darker phototypes, the same measured approach that produced progressive contour gains in a lower-face radiofrequency study.
Bogle MA, Ubelhoer N, Weiss RA, Mayoral F, Kaminer MS. Evaluation of the multiple pass, low fluence algorithm for radiofrequency tightening of the lower face. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(3):210-217. doi:10.1002/lsm.20472
The controlled-heat principle behind that support has a long clinical record. A physician survey spanning 5,700 monopolar radiofrequency treatments established that a low-energy, multiple-pass protocol produces reliable tissue remodeling with better comfort than a single high-energy pass, and a multicenter periorbital trial documented measurable tissue tightening at 6 months from the same class of energy. Those findings inform how RF microneedling is dosed when it backs up a subcision plan: enough heat to rebuild a scar floor, restrained enough to protect skin already primed to mark. This is the reason the physician sorts scar type before any device is turned on: the needle answers the tethered scars, and calibrated RF answers the bed underneath them.
Dover JS, Zelickson B; 14-Physician Multispecialty Consensus Panel. Results of a survey of 5,700 patient monopolar radiofrequency facial skin tightening treatments: assessment of a low-energy multiple-pass technique leading to a clinical end point algorithm. Dermatol Surg. 2007;33(8):900-907. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2007.33191.x
Fitzpatrick R, Geronemus R, Goldberg D, Kaminer M, Kilmer S, Ruiz-Esparza J. Multicenter study of noninvasive radiofrequency for periorbital tissue tightening. Lasers Surg Med. 2003;33(3):232-242. doi:10.1002/lsm.10225
Questions International Guests Ask About Subcision and Scar Types
Which acne scar types does subcision actually work on?
Subcision works on tethered depressions โ the rolling scars, and some shallow boxcars, that a fibrous cord holds down. When the physician cuts that cord, the surface lifts and refills with collagen over the months after. The key sign is the stretch test: a scar that shallows out when the skin is stretched has a tether and is a subcision candidate. Scars that stay put under stretch are handled a different way.
How do you tell a rolling scar from a boxcar or icepick scar?
Rolling scars are soft, wide, saucer-shaped dips with sloping edges. Boxcar scars are broader with a more defined, box-like border and steeper walls. Icepick scars are narrow and deep, like a small puncture driven into the skin. At consultation the physician identifies your mix by eye and by touch, then stretch-tests each one, because the visual type and whether a cord is present together decide the tool.
Can subcision fix icepick scars?
Usually not on its own. Icepick scars are narrow, deep tracks with no cord to release, so a needle passed underneath does little to lift them. They respond better to fractional laser, or for the deepest tracks a punch technique that removes and closes the scar. If icepick scars dominate your face, the physician at RE:BERRY Gangnam will tell you subcision is at most a minor part of the plan.
What about boxcar scars โ is subcision the right treatment?
It depends on the boxcar. A shallow boxcar with sloped edges and a cord beneath it often responds to a release. A sharp, steep-walled boxcar usually has no tether, so the needle does little and the wall itself needs resurfacing with laser, or a punch method for the deepest, most defined ones. The stretch test settles which of your boxcars fall into which group.
What is the stretch test, and why does it matter so much?
The physician stretches and releases the skin over each scar and watches what happens. A tethered scar shallows out under tension because the cord holding it is being pulled taut; a fixed scar barely changes. That single observation predicts whether subcision will help far better than looks alone. RE:BERRY Gangnam sorts every depression this way before marking anything for the needle.
My face has a mix of all three scar types โ what happens then?
A mixed face is the common case, not the exception. The physician sorts your scars into tethered and fixed, treats the tethered ones with subcision, and routes the fixed pits and sharp boxcars to laser or punch work. When several types share one face, the treatment order is set so a resurfacing pass never lands on skin still healing from a release, and each type is tracked on its own timeline.
Why is RF microneedling sometimes added to a subcision plan?
A released scar can sink back onto its old plane if the scar bed beneath it is too thin on collagen to hold the lift. RF microneedling heats the dermis to build new collagen and elastin, rebuilding that floor so the correction holds. It is added only where the physician judges the bed needs it at the stretch test โ it supports the release, it does not replace it.
How many subcision sessions will my scar type need?
Soft rolling scars often respond well across a short series of releases spaced four to six weeks apart, since each collagen cycle needs time to settle. Deeper or more heavily tethered scars can want more passes. The physician sets the count after sorting your scars at consultation, because a face of shallow rolling scars and a face of deep tethered ones do not follow the same schedule.
Will subcision help if my scars are old โ can it fix years-old acne scarring?
Scar age matters less than scar type. An old rolling scar with a cord still tethering it responds to a release much like a newer one, because the tether is mechanical, not time-limited. What changes with age is that response depth can vary, so the physician judges each scar on the stretch test rather than on how long you have had it, and the overlay photos show honestly how far an older scar rises.
Is subcision safe for darker or scar-prone skin?
Subcision is a mechanical release, not a light- or heat-based treatment, so it does not target melanin and is used across skin tones. Darker, scar-prone skin still needs care to limit post-inflammatory pigment during healing, so a restrained technique is used and every scar is photographed under standardized lighting at each checkpoint to catch any pigment shift early. When RF microneedling is added, a lower-energy setting is chosen for the same reason.
How soon will I see my rolling scars improve after subcision?
There are two moments. Some lift is often visible on the table as the cord gives way, but that is early and partial. The lasting change builds over roughly two to six months as collagen fills the freed pocket, and it keeps improving session to session. Overlay photos at each checkpoint show the rise more honestly than a bathroom mirror, which tends to hide gradual change.
Can I get my whole scar plan done in one short Seoul trip?
A single release of your tethered scars fits one afternoon, and any laser or punch work on the fixed scars can often be staged into the same trip on a separate day so healing does not overlap. A full multi-session correction is built across weeks, so short-stay guests either plan return trips or continue by photo, with each step dated around when they can next be in Seoul.
How do I find out which of my scars subcision can reach before I travel?
Message RE:BERRY on WhatsApp with close, angled photos of the scarred area. A coordinator replies in English, and the physician gives a first read on your scar mix and whether subcision is the lead treatment or a supporting one. The final sorting happens at the in-person stretch test, but you will know before you fly whether the trip is worth it for your scars. Interpreters cover eight languages on-site.
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Find Out Which of Your Acne Scars Subcision Can Reach
Send close photos of your acne scars to RE:BERRY on WhatsApp and the physician gives a first read on your scar mix โ rolling, boxcar, or icepick โ and whether subcision leads your plan or supports it. The final sorting happens at the in-person stretch test, the figure is written down before anything is scheduled, and the doctor who marks your scars tracks every overlay photo as the released depressions rise.
Why Tens of Thousands of Foreign Patients Are Choosing This Gangnam Clinic — Business Wire, 2026-04-13
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i had a good time having the Juvelook treatment!
It was my first time in Korea, all the Doctor & team are bery helpful. Dr. Ian & cheong a lee(jenny) are really helpful.
I understand more about my skin.
The clinic is calm, welcoming.
there are many activities i didnโt expect to find in a beauty clinic; phot...
When you walk into the clinic, it genuinely feels like a luxury experience.
The staff was so kind and attentive the whole time ๐ค.
The consultation felt very personalized, and they recommended treatments that truly matched what my skin needed instead of just recommending anything.
Honestly, I hope to come back next year
Great place! Came coz of an ad online and wanted to check out the place. They were able to fit me and my husband in right away as walk-ins. They took us to a sink to wash our faces, then took photos for skin analysis and before photos. Then they proceeded to give us a consultation ( c/o Jin Wooyoung) and advice on what...
So happy to found the beauty clinic in Korea that very inclusive and Muslim friendly. They have a prayer space for muslim and they prepare a female doctor for me. The clinic is so comfortable with aesthetic design make me feel relaxed. The doctor and the staff are very professional and helpful so all of the procedure r...
I had an excellent experience at Reberry Gangnam. The staff were professional, welcoming, and took the time to explain each treatment thoroughly. I had microneedling and other skin treatments, and the entire process was comfortable and well-organized. The clinic was modern, clean, and made me feel at ease from start to...
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Science Scar-type matching, collagen fill, and radiofrequency floor rebuild โ peer-reviewed references
Matching an acne scar to its tool rests on the biology of collagen repair and the energy evidence for the floor a released scar needs. Hantash (2009) showed that bipolar fractional radiofrequency drives both neoelastogenesis and neocollagenesis, the rebuild a thin scar bed relies on to hold a lift after a release. Bogle (2007) confirmed progressive gains under a multiple-pass, low-fluence radiofrequency algorithm, the restrained technique chosen for scar-prone and darker phototypes. Dover (2007), across 5,700 monopolar radiofrequency treatments, established that a low-energy, multiple-pass protocol remodels tissue reliably with better comfort than a single high-energy pass, and Fitzpatrick (2003) documented measurable tissue tightening at 6 months from the same energy class, together informing how radiofrequency is dosed when it supports a subcision plan.
- Hantash BM, Ubeid AA, Chang H, Kafi R, Renton B. Bipolar fractional radiofrequency treatment induces neoelastogenesis and neocollagenesis. Lasers Surg Med. 2009;41(1):1-9. doi:10.1002/lsm.20731
- Bogle MA, Ubelhoer N, Weiss RA, Mayoral F, Kaminer MS. Evaluation of the multiple pass, low fluence algorithm for radiofrequency tightening of the lower face. Lasers Surg Med. 2007;39(3):210-217. doi:10.1002/lsm.20472
- Dover JS, Zelickson B; 14-Physician Multispecialty Consensus Panel. Results of a survey of 5,700 patient monopolar radiofrequency facial skin tightening treatments: assessment of a low-energy multiple-pass technique leading to a clinical end point algorithm. Dermatol Surg. 2007;33(8):900-907. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2007.33191.x
- Fitzpatrick R, Geronemus R, Goldberg D, Kaminer M, Kilmer S, Ruiz-Esparza J. Multicenter study of noninvasive radiofrequency for periorbital tissue tightening. Lasers Surg Med. 2003;33(3):232-242. doi:10.1002/lsm.10225
These references shape how scar work is sorted at RE:BERRY's Gangnam aesthetic clinic: a physician stretch-test to separate tethered scars from fixed pits before any tool is chosen; the Nokor-needle release for the tethered scars, refilled by the body's own collagen over two to six months; and, where a scar bed is too thin to hold, the multiple-pass, moderate-energy radiofrequency technique layered in to rebuild the floor, all followed with standardized-lighting overlay photos through the remodeling window under the same licensed physician. This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.
How to Find RE:BERRY Gangnam
2 minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 10. B1โB2, KI Tower โ the building with the all-black entrance you can't miss.
RE:BERRY Clinic Gangnam
B1โB2, KI Tower, 69-gil 8, Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul
์์ธ์ ์์ด๊ตฌ ๊ฐ๋จ๋๋ก69๊ธธ 8, ์งํ1ยท2์ธต (KIํ์)
Also available at: Myeongdong ยท Incheon Airport