Dr. Designer Clinic
Dr. Choi Wonhyuk
Director · 16 years in clinical practice
Thread lift · Hyaluronic acid filler
When I misheard “make it look natural”
When I got my medical license in 2010 and started seeing patients, one of the hardest things for me was understanding exactly what a patient was asking for. I would treat someone who asked for a natural look, and then hear, “Nobody can tell I had anything done.” The other way round, when someone asked for a clearly lifted result and I treated more actively, they sometimes felt the change was too much.
After this happened again and again, I learned that two people can picture very different results from the same words. I had assumed that my idea of natural and theirs were the same.
What I ask first in the consultation room
So now, after you tell me what bothers you, I keep the conversation going a little longer. I ask whether you want a change other people will notice, or one they may not see but you can feel yourself. I ask whether you have a wedding or another important date coming up, and how much time you can set aside for recovery. It is hard to put every expectation into words at the start. I ask more questions, look at the medical condition of your face alongside your answers, and we set the direction of treatment together.
For the same face, the choice changes depending on whether you can accept downtime for a bigger change, or whether keeping pain and recovery low matters more. I explain how much change each method can be expected to give, and what discomfort comes with it. I decide by putting the result you want next to the conditions you can accept.
What I learned from patients who came back
Because patients kept coming back, I was able to go from starting out in Yeongdeungpo as director of Toxnfill to where I am now, at Dr. Designer Clinic. Each time I see someone again, I hear how they have been since their treatment and look at how their face has changed over time. Things I could not know at the moment of treatment built up this way. That long view is also the basis of my judgment when I plan treatment for someone I am seeing for the first time.
What I look at in HA filler and Aptos thread lifts
As my experience grew, I became able to read more precisely the position and the layer I need to work on before I treat. This matters most to me in filler and thread lifts, because the result of the same treatment changes with which layer and which position are treated, and how. Even when a treatment is technically demanding, if I judge it is the right method for you, I am confident in planning it carefully and carrying it out precisely.
When something still feels missing after Ultherapy or Thermage
What still feels missing after a treatment is worth a second look. If part of your face changed less than you expected after Ultherapy or Thermage, I start by looking at why. A cause the first treatment did not address may still be there. We look at your face after treatment together with the change you first wanted, and decide together whether a follow-up treatment aimed at that cause is needed.
Outside the consultation room
To broaden my experience, I take part in meetings held by Merz MAC, Aptos and Restylane, where doctors skilled in these treatments discuss and teach, and I exchange views with other specialists. Since 2026 I have also served as an Aptos brand ambassador. At these meetings, we talk about how to improve technique and what each of us values in our own practice, and think about methods that fit each patient better. Looking back at the methods I am used to and hearing other views is, I believe, necessary for the care I give now. I have also talked about treatments in Korean outlets such as Rapportian, Medical Today and Daily Hankook.
I also write the judgments I share with patients in the consultation room into guides: which faces suit which treatment, and what changes and limits you can expect. I hope reading them helps you picture more clearly the result you want.
Three cases we don't treat
A thin face with little fat, asking for a high number of HIFU linesWhy
HIFU (ultrasound) works on the deep SMAS layer. When a face has little fat to begin with, treating deeper and doing more lines only makes the cheeks look more hollow. For this kind of face we do not plan a high line count of HIFU; we look at radiofrequency instead.
Skin that is red or inflamed right nowWhy
Energy delivered to inflamed skin only adds heat, which makes the redness and swelling last longer, and it also makes it hard to judge the layer to treat. We do not do energy-based treatments that day; we book again once the skin has settled.
Wanting to book a two-device combination before the consultationWhy
The two devices work on different layers. Which one goes first, and how far apart, can only be decided after we have seen your face. We do not sell combinations before the consultation; a combination is only put together after it.
Certifications
Dr. Designer Clinic is Merz / Solta manufacturer-certified. Below are the genuine-device certificates, followed by the director's personal certificate.
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