What is a NAD injection, and what are Laennec, Cindella, Hyaron, Kabelline, ez gel and glow peptide injections in Seoul
Written by KCODI medical interpreter team · English deskUpdated · 9 min read
Walk into a Seoul aesthetic clinic and the drip menu is on the wall: NAD, gluta, stem cell, Laennec, Cindella. Beside it is an injectable list with Hyaron, Kabelline, Juvelook and a row of peptide names. Almost none of these words appear on a clinic menu in the US, UK or Australia.
Our interpreters translate these menus daily, and the pattern is consistent: the category is usually real, the specific product is usually a brand, and the claim on the poster is usually further ahead of the evidence than the doctor is when you ask them directly.
This guide sorts the menu into what each item actually is, what it is approved for, and what a careful Korean doctor will say when you ask the plain question.
The drip menu, decoded
| Menu name | What is in it | Marketed for | Where the evidence stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAD or NAD+ drip | Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme | Energy, jet lag, 'anti-ageing' | Early research in ageing biology; cosmetic and anti-fatigue claims are not established |
| Gluta drip | High-dose glutathione | Skin brightening | Not an approved skin-lightening treatment; safety concerns at high IV doses |
| Cindella | A vitamin C and antioxidant combination | Brightening, 'glow' | Vitamin C infusion is well understood; the cosmetic claim is not |
| Laennec | A human placenta-derived extract | Fatigue, liver support, skin | Approved in Korea and Japan for specific medical uses, not for cosmetic outcomes |
| Stem cell drip | Varies widely; often growth-factor or exosome products, not living cells | Recovery, 'rejuvenation' | Ask exactly what is in the bag. Claims run far ahead of regulation |
| Vitamin or 'hangover' drips | Saline plus vitamins | Rehydration after a long flight | Rehydration is real; most other claims are not |
The glutathione question comes up more than any other, and it has its own guide: Korean glutathione injections sets out what the evidence and the regulators actually say about skin brightening by infusion.
What is a NAD injection
NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell uses in energy metabolism, and its levels fall with age. That much is textbook. From there, clinics extend it to claims about energy, focus, jet lag and ageing, and that extension is where the evidence thins out. Human trials in ageing are ongoing rather than concluded.
Practically, a NAD drip in Seoul runs slowly, often over an hour or more, because infusing it quickly causes chest tightness, flushing and nausea in many people. A NAD peptide injection is the same idea delivered subcutaneously in a smaller dose. If you are considering either, treat it as an experimental wellness purchase, not a treatment.
The injectable list: boosters, fat dissolvers and biostimulators
- Hyaron and similar. Non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid injected in tiny amounts across the face for hydration. Closer to a skin booster than a filler; the effect is short and repeated.
- Juvelook. A poly-D,L-lactic acid product used as a biostimulator. Juvelook vs Sculptra comes up constantly: both aim to stimulate collagen over months, with different particle types, dilutions and injection depths. Neither gives an instant result.
- Kabelline and fat-dissolving injections. Deoxycholic-acid type products for small fat pockets such as under the chin. Several sessions weeks apart, which rarely fits one trip. Swelling afterwards is significant.
- Peptide injections (glow, GHK-Cu). Copper peptide and related products injected superficially for texture and tone. Evidence for topical copper peptide exists; injected cosmetic protocols are not standardised.
- PRF and ez gel. Your own blood is spun down and the platelet-rich fibrin is used as a gel, sometimes under the eyes for hollowing. Because it is autologous, allergy risk is low, but results vary and repeat sessions are usual.
Two of these overlap with treatments that have their own pages. Skin boosters and PDRN products are compared on the rejuran and skin booster page and in the best PDRN for dry skin guide. Collagen biostimulators for the body are covered in Korean cellulite, Sculptra and exosomes.
Before and after photos of an injection
Photographs for drips and boosters are the weakest evidence on any clinic wall, because the changes they claim are the changes lighting produces. A ghk cu before and after, a gluta drip before and after or a peptide injection pair can be created with a different bulb and a different foundation.
- Ask what else the patient had in the same period. Almost nobody has only a drip.
- Ask for the interval. Biostimulators like Juvelook are judged at three months, not at two weeks.
- Look at the skin's shine and the shadow direction. If one photo is lit from the front and the other from above, stop reading it.
- For prf gel under eyes, ask for a photo in flat, even light. Hollowing is a shadow, and shadows are the easiest thing in the world to change.
Safety, and what to check before any infusion
The category risk is not the ingredient. It is the setting. An infusion should be prescribed by a doctor who has your history, mixed in a clinic, and run with someone present who can manage a reaction. Ask who is in the building while your drip runs.
- Tell the clinic every medication, supplement and allergy you have, including anything for blood pressure, blood thinning or thyroid.
- Say if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive. Several of these products are not used then.
- Ask what happens if you react: which staff are on site, and which hospital they send to.
- Do not stack a drip with a first-time injectable on the same afternoon. If something goes wrong, nobody can tell which item caused it.
- Keep the product boxes or ask for the names in writing. Your doctor at home cannot look up a package name.
None of this means the menu is worthless. Rehydration after a fourteen-hour flight is real, and some of the injectables have a solid place in a treatment plan. It means paying for the item rather than for the poster. If you are choosing between routes for skin quality, Korean skin treatments compared lists downtime and visit counts, and clinic matching will narrow it to a shortlist.
