Sculptra vs Radiesse: what does each cost in Korea?

The two products build volume on different clocks, and the clocks drive the counts. Sculptra's PLLA works gradually: the vial is injected, the material cues collagen production over weeks to months, and clinics typically repeat the process — a common plan runs two or three vials across sessions spaced a month or more apart. Your real Sculptra budget is therefore the per-vial figure multiplied by that confirmed count, not the single-vial number.

Radiesse behaves differently. The CaHA gel gives an immediate volumizing effect and then stimulates collagen around it, so a first treatment is often one or two syringes placed in a single visit. One syringe at ₩990,000 against one Sculptra vial at ₩590,000 on a standard list looks like a clear order — but two or three Sculptra vials against one Radiesse syringe reverses it, and both patterns are everyday plans in Korean clinics.

Where a Sculptra quote lands inside the wide ₩550,000–1,100,000 band mostly reflects district and clinic tier, with flagship Gangnam practices near the ceiling and volume-driven clinics near the floor. Radiesse's single list point moves less, largely because fewer clinics carry it as a headline item.

Clinically the two are not interchangeable, so let the indication lead. Radiesse's immediate lift plus stimulation is usually discussed where structure is wanted straight away — jawline, chin, lower-face definition — while Sculptra's slow, diffuse collagen build suits broader volume loss and skin-quality goals over several months. Many faces are candidates for either; some are clearly better served by one. That call belongs to the consulting doctor, not to the rate card.

Once the indication is set, price the actual plan: ask a KHIDI-registered clinic, through a free consultation, for an itemized written quote per option — vials or syringes, session count, and spacing all stated. Compare those finished totals side by side. The written figure is the binding one, and Book Korea Medical adds no markup to it.

Every price above is VAT-inclusive: Korea's 10% value-added tax is already built into the standard self-pay rate.

The foreign-patient VAT refund on cosmetic and aesthetic procedures (Special Tax Treatment Control Act, Articles 107-3 and 107-4) expired on 31 December 2025 and was not extended for 2026. As of 2026 there is nothing to reclaim afterward on a procedure like this — the price you see is your effective, out-of-pocket cost. Be cautious of older listings that still promise a clinic VAT refund for cosmetic treatment.