Collagen Boosters in Gangnam: How Do Sculptra, Radiesse and Juvelook Volume Differ?

Quick answer: Choose by timing. Sculptra has no instant volume and changes gradually over several weeks, Radiesse corrects the moment it goes in, and Juvelook Volume was studied as 3 sessions spaced 3–4 weeks apart. At REPIC Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, collagen boosters start at 450,000 KRW (November 2026, VAT not included).

I'm Dr. Jay (Yongheon Ha), a doctor at REPIC Clinic in Gangnam. The question I hear most often in consults is "Sculptra or Juvelook?" I don't start with the product. I start with the face. Has it lost volume, or has it sagged? That one distinction settles most of the answer. Below, I go through the collagen boosters we use in a fixed order: what's in them, how fast they show, how long the studies actually followed people, and what they cost.

How is a collagen booster different from a filler?

A filler fills the space the moment it's injected. Most collagen boosters work on a delay. Sculptra's US label describes it this way: as the particles break down, new collagen may form at the injection site. That's where the "booster" name comes from. Not every product sold under that name works the same way, though. Radiesse corrects immediately, like a filler, and is still classed as a collagen booster. ÉCL-REGEN is described by its maker as a product that adds collagen directly.

In Korea, Sculptra and Juvelook Volume are approved for "temporary improvement of facial wrinkles in adults." Temporary. None of these is a one-and-done treatment. If your concern is skin texture rather than lost volume, that's a different category, covered in our skin booster guide.

Sculptra vs Radiesse vs Juvelook Volume: what actually differs?

Speed comes first, then how long the evidence runs. The table only includes what we could confirm in approved labels and published studies. Where we found nothing, it says "no data."

Why doesn't Sculptra show right away?

Because it has no instant volume. The fullness you see straight after treatment is swelling from the dilution fluid, and it fades within hours to a few days. The real change comes gradually over the following weeks. In the cheek-wrinkle trial, improvement rates were 68% at 1 month, 90% at 2 months and 96% at 3 months. It's closer to planting seeds than laying turf.

What you get for the wait is a longer evidence trail. In the nasolabial fold trial, improvement held up to 25 months after the last injection, and the cheek-wrinkle trial reported a 77% response rate at 24 months. There are limits. The deepest-wrinkle group didn't hold, and nothing past 3 years has been studied. A course is up to 4 sessions, at least 3–4 weeks apart. How many vials over how many visits is covered in our Sculptra guide.

Need a sharper contour now? Is that Radiesse?

If immediate correction is the goal, yes. Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite particles (25–45 μm) carried in a gel, and it corrects 1:1, right where it's placed. In the US it's approved for facial wrinkles and folds, including nasolabial folds, and for jawline contour. In the jawline trial, 67% of people who responded at 12 weeks were still responding at 48 weeks. For nasolabial folds, effectiveness was assessed to 6 months.

So faster means easier? Not really. Firmness or lumpiness along the jawline was reported in the 70% range in that trial, mostly settling within 14 days. It's contraindicated if you have a bleeding disorder. It also shows up on CT and X-ray, so tell the staff before any scan. For a side-by-side, see Sculptra vs Radiesse.

How long does Juvelook Volume last?

Honestly, there's no long-term data yet. Juvelook Volume combines PDLLA with hyaluronic acid (of the 200mg, 170 is PDLLA and 30 is hyaluronic acid), and both the clinical trial and the case reports used 3 sessions 3–4 weeks apart. A randomized split-face trial of 33 people treating nasolabial folds found significant improvement from 4 to 24 weeks, non-inferior to PLLA. The trial was funded by the manufacturer, and you should know that too.

Follow-up stopped 3 months after the last injection. Beyond that, nobody has measured it. So I don't give patients a number for how long it lasts. The difference from Juvelook Skin and the session packages are in our Juvelook Volume guide.

What about Ultracol and ÉCL-REGEN?

Both have thin evidence so far. Ultracol is made of PDO (polydioxanone) microparticles, and its Korean approval is for "temporary improvement of nasolabial folds on both sides of the face." The trial design used 2 sessions 4 weeks apart. We couldn't find data on how long it lasts or how often side effects occur. ÉCL-REGEN, launched in October 2026, is type I atelocollagen with lidocaine. That it replenishes collagen directly is the company's description, and there's no data yet behind a session schedule. For both, long-term data on duration doesn't exist yet.

New doesn't mean bad. But I explain the products with a track record first, and when these two come up, I tell you the data is limited before anything else.

Who shouldn't get a collagen booster?

We don't treat during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Sculptra is contraindicated if you're hypersensitive to its ingredients, have a history of severe allergies, or tend to form keloids or hypertrophic scars. Radiesse is contraindicated with a history of severe allergies, hypersensitivity to its ingredients or to lidocaine, and bleeding disorders. If an area is inflamed, we wait until it calms down. Tell us about any medication in advance. Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs increase bruising.

I also don't recommend these when sagging is the main problem. Filling lost volume won't lift tissue that has dropped.

Side effects, plainly. Swelling, tenderness, redness and bruising are common: in the Sculptra trials they ran in the 60–90% range, mostly clearing within 7 days. Nodules are not rare, and injection depth and volume drive the risk. Shallow injection, thin skin, the eye area and too much product are the known risk factors. Rarely, injection into a blood vessel can cause tissue necrosis or vision loss, and this has been reported with both Sculptra and Radiesse. If you're flying home soon, tell us your departure date at the consultation and we'll plan the treatment day around it.

How much do collagen boosters cost in Gangnam? (November 2026)

These are REPIC Clinic Gangnam prices as of November 2026, VAT not included. Korean and international patients pay the same. Sculptra: half vial 600,000 KRW for 1 session or 1,590,000 KRW for 3; full vial 990,000 KRW for 1 or 2,690,000 KRW for 3. Radiesse: 990,000 KRW for 1 syringe, 1,790,000 KRW for 2, 2,490,000 KRW for 3. Juvelook Volume: half vial 450,000 KRW for 1 or 1,200,000 KRW for 3; full vial 650,000 KRW for 1 or 1,750,000 KRW for 3. Ultracol 200 starts at 450,000 KRW for 2cc, and ÉCL-REGEN is 650,000 KRW for 4cc.

How many vials or syringes you need is decided after the exam. Every price is listed on our price page.

How we do it at REPIC

The order never changes. Diagnosis first: lost volume or sagging, thin skin or thick. We check skin condition and facial contour with Meta-Vu and Mark-Vu imaging as well. Then we choose the product, the amount and the injection layer. Thin skin is a nodule risk factor, so even with the same product we adjust depth and volume. The doctor does the injections personally. With slow-building products we don't judge the result in one visit. We check progress first, then decide whether the next session is needed.

Related reading

• Sculptra: how many vials, how many sessions, and when it shows
• Radiesse: instant correction, the jawline, and what to watch for
• Juvelook Volume: the 3-session schedule and the limits of the evidence
• Sculptra vs Radiesse: slow build or instant correction

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This article is general information and does not replace a medical consultation. Results vary from person to person.