Calcium Filler (CaHA) at a Gangnam Dermatology Clinic

Prices below come from the listed clinics' own price lists, before VAT. 10% VAT is added at payment.

Most filler menus in Gangnam list two families. Hyaluronic acid (HA) gels, such as Juvederm by Allergan, hold water and add volume where they sit. CaHA is a suspension of tiny mineral spheres in a gel carrier; the carrier is absorbed over time, and the spheres act as a scaffold the body coats with collagen. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), sold as Sculptra by Galderma, is a third option that works only through collagen building.

For a visitor, the key difference is reversibility. An uneven HA result can be softened with an enzyme; a CaHA result has to be managed with massage, time or further treatment, so doctors keep it away from thin, mobile areas.

Berlin, Hussain and Goldberg tested the collagen claim directly in a 2008 study in Dermatologic Surgery. Five people with mild to moderate smile lines had CaHA injected into those folds, plus a small test amount of 0.1 to 0.2 mL placed under the skin behind one ear, where a biopsy would leave no visible mark.

Six months later, the behind-the-ear sites were sampled and stained for collagen types I and III. The tissue showed more collagen laid down around the filler spheres, and no participant had a complication. The group was tiny and the test site was not the face, so the study explains the mechanism rather than predicting how long a cheek or jaw result lasts.

Because the product is firm and sits deep, it is mainly used for structure: the jawline, the chin, the cheekbone area and deep folds beside the mouth. Some doctors dilute it to spread a thin layer over a wider zone for skin firmness, a different technique from bolus placement that should be named on the plan.

Thin skin and moving areas are the usual exclusions. Lips, the tear trough under the eye and the area right around the eye are generally left to soft gels or to other treatments altogether.

• Undiluted product or a diluted, spread technique?
• How many syringes per area?
• What happens if a firm bump appears?

Swelling, tenderness and bruising usually settle over several days, so book CaHA early in the stay rather than the evening before a flight. Some doctors ask patients to massage the area for a few days; follow the instruction the treating doctor gives, not a general rule.

The collagen part of the result keeps changing after you leave Korea, so take a written record: product name and lot number, syringes per area, depth and technique. A doctor at home cannot dissolve CaHA and will need those details if a lump appears.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding, an active infection or cold sore on the area, a known tendency to raised scars, and a history of reactions to filler are common reasons to wait or choose another option. Anyone who wants a result that can be fully reversed if they dislike it is usually better matched to an HA gel.

Rare risks apply to every filler injected near blood vessels. Blanching, sharp pain or color change soon after injection needs immediate attention at the clinic.