Hello, I'm Kwangryul Lee, chief director of DIORE Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.

A quick word about my background: I graduated from Korea University College of Medicine — one of the top medical schools in the country — and completed my residency training at Korea University Medical Center. Before founding DIORE, I served as head physician at multiple clinics across Seoul, including positions in Cheongdam and Gangnam, accumulating years of hands-on experience across cosmetic dermatology, laser procedures, fillers, and thread lifting. I'm an active member of the Korean Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Laser Medicine, the Korean Society of Obesity and Aesthetic Medicine, the Korean Lifting Research Society, the Korean Filler Society, and several other professional bodies.

I share all of this not to list credentials, but so you understand the lens through which I'm writing this column. When I talk about ECM boosters, it comes from having personally injected thousands of vials across different skin types, ages, and concerns — and from having watched this category evolve from niche to mainstream over the past several years.

The Shift From Anti-Aging to Slow-Aging

The paradigm in Korean dermatology has shifted. We've moved beyond simply ironing out wrinkles on the surface. The focus now is on rebuilding the skin's foundation from within — what the industry calls slow-aging.

At the center of this shift is a category called ECM (extracellular matrix) boosters, sometimes referred to as 5th-generation skin boosters. Unlike traditional skin boosters that primarily hydrate, ECM boosters work on restoring the actual structural scaffolding of the dermis — the collagen, elastin, and matrix proteins that give skin its firmness and resilience.

DIORE Clinic was recently designated as an official Re2O Slow-Aging Center by the manufacturer of Re2O (Lituau). This isn't a title given for high purchase volume. It's a formal certification recognizing deep expertise in ECM booster protocols and precision injection technique. I take that recognition seriously, and I want to use this column to share what I've learned.

Breaking Down the Big Three: Re2O, Juvelook, and Cellrderm

Patients flying into Seoul for skin treatments often ask me: "Which ECM booster should I get?" The honest answer is that it depends entirely on your skin condition. Each of the three major ECM boosters has a distinct personality. Let me walk you through them.

Re2O (Lituau) — "The Gold Standard for Skin Rebuilding"

Re2O is the product that essentially launched the ECM booster era. Its strength lies in the most stable, textbook-grade reconstruction of compromised dermal structure. If your skin's internal framework has weakened, Re2O is the most reliable way to shore it up.

Best for: Skin that has thinned with age and lost its innate ability to regenerate — patients who need foundational rebuilding, not just surface improvement.

Juvelook (Juveacell) — "The Precision-Tailored Solution"

What sets Juvelook apart is adjustable concentration. It comes in 3% and 8% formulations, which gives me the flexibility to customize by treatment zone.

• Juvelook 3% is what I reach for when targeting ultra-fine, delicate wrinkles — the horizontal neck lines that age you ten years, or the paper-thin creases around the eyes. It's designed for precision work on thin, sensitive skin.
• Juvelook 8% is a high-concentration ECM formulation denser than Re2O. I use it when the goal is to actually increase skin thickness or create subtle, natural volume — not filler-style volume, but a restored fullness that comes from the skin itself becoming more substantial.

Cellrderm — "Low-Pain, Ultra-Fine Texture Refinement"

Cellrderm's defining feature is its 75-micron ultra-fine particle technology, which dramatically reduces injection pain compared to the other two.

Best for: Patients who are pain-sensitive or needle-averse, and those whose primary concern is skin texture — enlarged pores, rough grain, uneven surface. If your goal is that smooth, porcelain-like finish Koreans call "dojagi pibu" (ceramic skin), Cellrderm is where I'd start.

Why the Injector Matters More Than the Product

Here's something I tell every international patient during consultation: with ECM boosters, who injects matters as much as what gets injected.

These products differ in particle size, viscosity, and flow characteristics. The same vial of Re2O will produce completely different results depending on injection depth, angle, speed, and layering strategy. This isn't like getting a standard laser treatment where the machine does most of the work.

At DIORE, I personally handle all ECM booster injections. Here's what that involves:

• Layer-specific placement. I switch between needles and cannulas freely, placing product at the optimal depth for each zone — upper dermis, mid-dermis, or deep dermis. A fraction of a millimeter matters.
• Custom mix protocols. I compound formulations on-site based on each patient's skin thickness measurements. This ranges from high-concentration precision mixes to large-volume 8cc remodeling blends for patients who need comprehensive dermal reconstruction.

This level of customization is why I believe ECM boosters should only be administered by physicians who specialize in them — not as a side menu item at a general clinic.

DIORE's Signature ECM Treatment Menu

Over the years, I've developed four signature protocols that cover the full spectrum of ECM-based skin concerns:

Neck-Ring Eraser — Targets stubborn horizontal neck lines using a high-concentration Juvelook 3% mix. Neck skin is thin and unforgiving; this protocol is specifically calibrated for that anatomy.

Skin-Glow — Focused on luminosity and overall skin conditioning. Think of it as resetting your skin's baseline — evening out tone, boosting hydration at the dermal level, and creating that glass-skin radiance.

Density Rebuilder — Uses Re2O and Juvelook 8% as the core to physically increase skin density and thickness. This is the protocol I recommend for patients whose primary complaint is skin that feels thin, slack, or structurally weak.

Volumizing — Cannula-based delivery for natural, tissue-level volume restoration. Not filler. This is about encouraging your own tissue to rebuild volume from within — a fundamentally different approach with fundamentally more natural results.

Slowing Down the Clock Is Simpler Than You Think

Maintaining your skin at its prime isn't some unreachable ideal. It comes down to rebuilding the right layers with the right materials, guided by someone who understands exactly what your skin needs.

As an officially certified Re2O Slow-Aging Center, DIORE Clinic offers what I believe is the most scientifically grounded approach to skin remodeling available in Gangnam today. Whether you're visiting Seoul for the first time or coming back for a follow-up session, I'll find the optimal ECM protocol for your exact skin thickness and condition.

That's my commitment — as a physician who has built his entire practice around this work.

Why I Work with Creatrip

I partnered with Creatrip because, from our very first discussion, I could tell they think differently from other platforms.

Most booking services focus on volume — how many patients they can funnel through. Creatrip focuses on the patient first. Every operational conversation I've had with their team starts with the same question: "How do we make this better for the international customer?" They obsess over things that most platforms treat as afterthoughts — the quality and accuracy of medical interpretation, making sure procedure descriptions are honest and not inflated, building backend infrastructure so that patients have seamless support from booking through post-treatment follow-up.

When I see a platform invest that much care into details that don't directly drive short-term revenue, I know they're in it for the long run. That matters to me. Medicine is a long-term relationship built on trust, and I only want to work with partners who share that mindset. Creatrip does, and that's why DIORE is proud to work with them.

Consultation and Booking Information

Creatrip consultation: Available 24/7 in real time. You can ask about procedures, get exact pricing, and reserve your appointment. DIORE's schedule fills up quickly — please book in advance to secure your preferred date and time.

WhatsApp: +82 10-8818-2915 (English, click to connect)

LINE: @creatrip (the '@' is required) (Japanese / Chinese, click to connect)

DIORE Clinic location: Gangnam, Seoul, 5 minutes walk from Gangnam Station Subway Line #2

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My Other Columns

Dr. Lee Kwangryul — Chief Director, DIORE Clinic Gangnam, Seoul Official Re2O Slow-Aging Center | Korea University College of Medicine K-Beauty ECM Booster & Skin Density Specialist