Beauty Trends
Hyun-sook, fillers and Botox: what to consider
Hyun-sook, a participant in season 29 of SBS PLUS and ENA's I Am Solo, drew attention when she openly shared the reason for her changed appearance after the show. During a January live broadcast on the YouTube channel Chonjang Entertainment TV, she appeared with a different look. Wearing her hair in a bob, she immediately prompted fellow participants to say, "You've become prettier."
After the broadcast, viewers also discussed her transformation. Comments included "She looks like a different person," "She resembles actress Ahn Eun-jin," and "What procedures did she have?" On social media, Hyun-sook readily disclosed the treatments, saying, "Even I kept looking at how I appeared yesterday because I was amazed," and "I had Botox and filler treatments."
Botox and fillers, the treatments Hyun-sook received, are representative procedures for creating a youthful-looking face. Botox temporarily blocks muscle movement to soften wrinkles, while fillers restore volume to hollow areas and refine contours. They are particularly effective for fine lines, under-eye hollows and nasolabial folds. Many people choose them because treatment takes little time and the effects appear immediately.
They also have drawbacks. Repeated Botox treatments can lead to resistance, while fillers may look unnatural or make the skin appear thicker over time. Facial expressions can become awkward, and excessive volume can even make someone look older. For this reason, more patients at Gangnam skin clinics are seeking treatments that enhance the skin's own regenerative capacity instead of adding artificial volume. This reflects the anti-aging trend toward natural-looking results.
For a natural change: Baby Collagen Injection and Rejuran
If the artificial volume associated with fillers feels excessive, collagen injections and skin boosters that support the skin's own recovery, such as Baby Collagen Injection or Rejuran, may be considered. Instead of artificially filling hollows, these treatments help the skin restore its elasticity and regenerative ability.
Baby Collagen Injection uses native collagen with a structure similar to human collagen to naturally fill hollow areas that have lost elasticity, such as under-eye depressions and nasolabial folds. It provides less volume but is effective in improving skin density and texture.
Rejuran's principal ingredient is salmon-DNA-derived PDRN, which stimulates skin-cell regeneration, helping restore thinned skin layers and improve fine lines and reduced elasticity. It suits people seeking a glow that seems to emerge from within and healthy skin texture, and is considered a representative customized skin-booster treatment.
There is also concern that repeated Botox treatment may weaken muscles or lead to resistance. In such cases, German-made Xeomin Botox can be chosen as an alternative. This highly purified toxin formulation has had extraneous proteins removed, giving it a lower risk of resistance and helping preserve natural expressions. It is effective in expressive areas such as the forehead, between the eyebrows and the corners of the mouth, and can prevent an overly stiff appearance. Hyun-sook also said that Botox at the corners of her mouth helped create a softer, more lively impression.
Beauty is about recovering lost time, rather than simply adding volume
Having listened to countless patients' concerns and studied and personally performed treatments including fillers, Botox and Baby Collagen Injection, I have reached one conclusion: the aim of treatment should not simply be to erase wrinkles or become as glamorous as someone else.
The public took an interest in Hyun-sook's dramatic transformation on I Am Solo for more than the fact that she had become prettier. She naturally recovered the vitality of her earlier appearance without concealing her own appeal. Artificial volume can leave a sense of something foreign as time passes, while thoughtful care that awakens the skin's own strength leaves a deeper elegance over time.
Anti-aging in this sense is a process of bringing back the smile from each person's most beautiful years. When the face in the mirror suddenly feels unfamiliar, first examine your own distinctive contours and expressions, instead of rushing to add something.