Rejuran · pain
Rejuran Pain Level: What the Injections Actually Feel Like
Rejuran is delivered by needle, many times over, across the face. That is the whole reason people ask about pain before they book. This page sets out what the sensation is, what a clinic in Korea can change to make it easier, and where the published evidence runs out.
Why Rejuran stings more than a filler
What patients describe during the session
Numbing cream: what the research actually shows
What you can ask the clinic to adjust
The first 48 hours
Questions people ask before booking
How much does Rejuran hurt?
Most people describe it as repeated pinpricks with a brief sting, not a single sharp pain. The discomfort is spread across dozens of small injections rather than concentrated in one spot. Topical anaesthetic before the session changes the experience considerably. No published study reports a Rejuran-specific pain score, so anyone quoting an exact number is estimating.
Why Rejuran stings more than a filler
Rejuran is a polynucleotide product made from salmon DNA, and in Korea it is approved as a medical device rather than a drug. It is not placed in one pocket the way a filler is. The solution is deposited in small amounts across a treatment area, which means many entry points in a single visit. That distribution is the point: the product works by prompting repair in the tissue it sits in, so it has to be spread out. It is also the reason the session feels like a series of stings rather than one. Skin over bone, such as the forehead and the area around the eyes, tends to register more than the cheeks. If you have had a skin booster session before, the rhythm is familiar; our guide to skin booster treatments in Korea covers a comparable injection pattern.
What patients describe during the session
Accounts cluster around the same few words: pinprick, sting, brief burn as the solution goes in. The injecting part of a facial session is usually short. What stretches the appointment is the waiting, since the anaesthetic has to sit on the skin first. Sensitivity is not evenly spread. The area around the eyes and the upper lip come up repeatedly as the parts people flinch at, which is unsurprising given how thin that skin is and how close the nerve endings sit. Here is the honest limit of what can be said: there is no published trial that measures Rejuran pain on a validated scale. The clinical literature on polynucleotides measures wrinkle severity and hydration, not discomfort. Figures like “3 out of 10” circulate widely online with nothing behind them.
Numbing cream: what the research actually shows
Topical anaesthetic is standard before this kind of session, and it does help. The often-repeated claim that it cuts pain by 40 to 60 percent, however, has no source we could find. The closest real data comes from a different procedure: a 2026 retrospective study in Medicina (Kaunas) on microneedling recorded a 43 percent lower median pain score on the face, numbed with a lidocaine–tetracaine cream, than on the neck, numbed with a lidocaine–prilocaine cream. The authors point out that site, technique and drug strength all differed, so the figure cannot be credited to the cream alone, and microneedling is not Rejuran. The practical takeaway is about time. Anaesthetic creams need contact time to work, and if a clinic is running behind, that is the step that gets shortened. Ask how long they intend to leave it on before you go in.
What you can ask the clinic to adjust
More is adjustable than most first-time patients realise, and asking costs nothing. You can ask for longer anaesthetic contact time. You can ask whether the product they use contains lidocaine already, since some polynucleotide formulations do and some do not. You can ask them to start with a less sensitive area so you know what the sensation is before they reach the eye region. You can ask for a pause. Language is worth planning for as well. If the consultation is happening through a translator or an app, agree on a signal for “stop” before the needle is in your face. Clinics that see international patients regularly will have handled this before. Our directory of Seoul dermatology clinics is a starting point for finding one.
What you can ask the clinic to adjust
The first 48 hours
What the first two days look like
- Redness at the injection points. Common, and it generally settles the same day.
- Small raised bumps where the solution sits. These flatten as it disperses, usually within a day or two.
- Tenderness when you press on the area or wash your face. Fades over a few days.
- Bruising, particularly around the eyes and in anyone taking blood thinners or fish oil. It can take up to about a week to fade, which is why it is the one that can outlast a short trip.
- Tightness or mild itching as the skin settles. Short-lived and not usually a concern on its own.
Bruising is the reason to think about timing. If you are in Korea for a week and have something you need to look presentable for, book early in the trip rather than the day before. Pain that gets worse after day two, spreading redness, or heat at an injection site is a different matter: that is a reason to contact the clinic rather than wait it out.
Questions people ask before booking
- Does it hurt more than filler? Different rather than worse. Filler concentrates pressure in one area; Rejuran spreads brief stings across many points. People who dislike needles often find Rejuran harder, while people who dislike pressure find it easier.
- Can I take a painkiller first? Ask the clinic. Some prefer patients avoid aspirin and ibuprofen beforehand because of bruising, which rules out the drugs people usually reach for. Do not decide this on your own.
- Will the numbing cream be enough? For most people it takes the edge off rather than removing sensation. If you know you have low pain tolerance, say so at the consultation instead of during the injections.
- How long am I in the chair? Budget for the anaesthetic wait plus the session itself, not the session alone. Clinics quote the injecting time, which is the shorter half.
- What does it cost in Korea? Listings on the Korean booking platforms Gangnam Unni and Modoodoc in 2025–2026 average around 165,000 KRW per session, with a spread from roughly 94,000 to over 320,000 KRW. That is platform pricing, not an official disclosure, and it varies by district and by how much product is used. Recovery time is the other thing worth pinning down before you book.
- Is there anyone who should not have it? Rejuran is made from salmon DNA, so tell the clinic about any fish or seafood allergy before the session. There is no safety data for pregnancy or breastfeeding, so treatment is normally postponed, and an infected or inflamed area should heal before it is injected.
- What Rejuran actually is
- How long Rejuran takes to settle
- Rejuran results, before and after
- Skin boosters, a similar injection pattern
- Laser toning side effects
Sources & Verification Notes
The numbers on this page are listed below with where they come from.
- MFDS (Korea): Rejuran (polynucleotide, derived from salmon DNA) is approved in Korea as a medical device. The approved indication for products such as Rejuran HB Plus is improving crow’s-feet wrinkles, which is narrower than the general “skin rejuvenation” framing common in marketing. (dailypharm.com)
- Price: listings on the consumer booking platforms Gangnam Unni and Modoodoc, not a government price disclosure, averaging roughly 165,000 KRW per session and ranging from about 94,000 to over 320,000 KRW in 2025–2026. This is platform pricing and may differ from what a clinic quotes you.
- Numbing cream: we found no source for a “40–60% pain reduction”. The 43% figure comes from a 2026 retrospective single-centre study of microneedling that compared a lidocaine–tetracaine cream on the face with a lidocaine–prilocaine cream on the neck; the authors note that site, technique and drug strength were confounded. Medicina (Kaunas) 2026. (PMC13303537)
- No published trial measures Rejuran pain on a validated scale, which is why this page gives no pain score.
This guide is written for readers who are visiting or considering visiting Korea for dermatology treatment. It’s general information, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. See our Medical Disclaimer before making a treatment decision, and confirm specific details, current pricing, and suitability directly with a clinic.
Note: We describe typical practice, not a guarantee. A dermatologist who examines you may recommend something different, and that advice should come first.
Background reading on polynucleotides: The Effectiveness of Polynucleotides in Esthetic Medicine: A Systematic Review (PubMed).