Editorial Policy

1. Editorial mission

Provide accurate, comparable, source-cited information about aesthetic and dermatology procedures available in South Korea so that international visitors can plan their travel and consultations with realistic expectations on outcomes, downtime, and total cost.

2. Source hierarchy

1. Tier 1 — Regulatory: US FDA 510(k) / PMA, EU CE Mark technical files, Korean MFDS approvals.
2. Tier 2 — Peer-reviewed: PubMed-indexed journals (JAMA Dermatology, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dermatologic Surgery).
3. Tier 3 — Industry surveys: ISAPS Global Statistics, ASDS Procedures Survey, KHIDI Medical Tourism Reports, OECD Health at a Glance.
4. Tier 4 — Manufacturer datasheets: for device specifications and treatment-zone depths only; never for efficacy claims.
5. Tier 5 — Public clinic listings: for general availability mapping; never as the sole source for clinical claims.

3. Comparison rules

• Category-type comparisons only (e.g. HIFU vs RF), never named-competitor comparisons.
• Comparison tables follow the 6:2 rule — 6 objective axes (modality, depth, downtime, duration, price band, regulatory status) plus 2 patient-relevant axes (suitability, recovery profile).
• Price ranges cite ISAPS / KHIDI / OECD market averages, not individual clinics.

4. DOI & citation rules

• Each procedure page cites a minimum of 3 peer-reviewed DOIs, one of which must be from the last 5 years.
• DOIs are presented as plain text references (not clickable links) to avoid attribution-chain disruption from CMS filters.
• Statistics quoted in headlines are restated with the source name and year on first appearance in the body.

5. Medical review

When a page covers a procedure with material safety considerations (energy-based devices, injectables, prescription-only), it may be reviewed by a Korean-licensed aesthetic-medicine physician. Reviewer credentials (specialty + license jurisdiction) are listed in the page header. Pages without medical review carry an "Information only" badge in the header.

6. Update cadence

• Quarterly: price ranges, regulatory status, FDA/CE/MFDS clearance dates.
• Bi-annually: DOI pool refresh, comparison axes, FAQ pool.
• Event-driven: within 14 days of new FDA clearance, ISAPS report release, or major safety advisory.
• Each page carries a "Last reviewed" date in the meta header.

7. Corrections policy

Factual errors are corrected within 2 business days of verified report. Material corrections (price band shifts, regulatory status changes, contraindication additions) are flagged with a "Corrected on" line in the page footer for 90 days.

8. Conflicts of interest

Myeongdongthreadlift may have referral or partnership relationships with clinics that appear in recommendation pages. These relationships are disclosed in the page header of any recommendation page and on the affiliate disclosure page. Editorial content (modality comparisons, price benchmarks, downtime ranges) is produced independently of these relationships.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-09 · Information only, not medical advice.