As the saying goes, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue," but in Korea, rather than this wedding custom, a shot of botulinum toxin (BTX) is far more commonplace.

The high beauty standards in Korea have fostered a culture where high school kids receive double eyelid surgery as graduation gifts and Koreans also get BTX before taking resume photos and going to important interviews.

As far back as 2010, it also became a trend for brides and grooms to receive BTX procedures to look perfect on their wedding day. And why not?

After all, this is a day when the spotlight is cast on brides and grooms even though that spotlight might be shortlived at Korean wedding ceremonies which only last between 30 minutes and one hour.

What type of wedding packages exist?

This is not a new service so the types of packages and prices offered by clinics and hospitals can vary greatly.

Clients can visit their regular clinic or dermatologist and request the required procedure before the wedding day. Usually, at hospitals with specialized dermatologists in Korea, chin procedures can cost around 100,000 won (approximately $76), crow’s feet around the eyes 500,000 won, forehead or glabellar lines 300,000 won, and some places combine forehead and eye wrinkle procedures for 500,000 won.

However, the procedures can be cheaper in clinics, according to a dermatologist located in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, that spoke with Korea Biomedical Review.

Also, specific wedding packages for brides and grooms are offered by clinics such as Meifill Clinic, Toxnfill, AM Plastic Surgery, AMRED Clinic, and many others can be found by searching the app, GangnamUnni. In particular, wedding packages were advertised on GangnamUnni from as low as 550, 000 won to 1.65 million won.

For brides, the most commonly advertised procedures are injections in the trapezius muscles for extending the neckline, the chin for achieving a perfect V-shaped jaw,  the arm for slimming, and other petit plastic surgery procedures like fillers around the forehead, nose, and eyes. 

On the other hand, grooms usually opt for V-shaped chin procedures to reduce the double chin appearance or give a sharper jawline appearance.

However, as each person reacts differently to BTX, procedures can differ in length but clinics generally recommend visiting one to two months in advance to ensure you get the intended results. Some even suggest visiting as early as three months in advance to rectify any swelling that might occur from frequent injections.

At the very least, BTX injections can be received two weeks in advance as the effect of Botox begins to appear two weeks after the procedure.

Discerning different BTX procedures

As Botox is entrenched in Korea’s culture, sometimes it can also be given as a gift. 

One Korean guy in his 30s explained that he received the BTX injections as a wedding gift.

“I received several injections in my chin in one session which helped me to slim my chin area.”

Likewise, he mentioned that his wife also received a “Skintox” procedure. Skintox varies slightly from BTX procedures as BTX targets the muscles while skintox specifically injects diluted BTX into the skin’s epidermis, targeting the dermal layer. Sometimes both can be mixed or if there are only fine lines or wrinkles present, skintox will be sufficient to rectify those areas.

For a first-time visitor, community pages like GangnamUnni, which is a dedicated medical beauty app, are loaded with comments and reviews from customers’ experiences which can be used as a guide to select the right procedure and most suitable clinic.

Other online wedding community pages also discuss and weigh the benefits of popular BTX procedures for brides and grooms. For example, Merz Aesthetics’ Ulthera, focuses a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) on a specific area of the skin to create a coagulation point in the skin to activate collagen production and induce skin regeneration to lift sagging skin and remove wrinkles.

Based on reviewers’ comments, they recommended receiving this treatment, two to three months in advance for achieving the maximum effect. However, as it is a foreign brand, it can cost approximately 1.2 million won compared to an equivalent Korean brand, Shurink, which costs a little less than half the price.

Rejuran Healer developed by PharmaResearch uses a polynucleotide substance to regenerate skin tissue, make skin thicker and increase its elasticity. Correspondingly, it costs about 800,000 won for 4cc.

“It is recommended to receive three treatments six months before the wedding, and for brides who want to improve overall aging and elasticity,” remarked one bride who used the product.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical's V-OLET fat-dissolving injections are also applied to reduce the fat under the chin area to achieve the V- jawline of wedding couples.

Meanwhile, some clients opt for laser-based injections to remove fine scars, pores, acne, and freckles, or nutritional vitamin injections and skin whitening injections which are also offered to brides and grooms before the special day.