Acne & pores
Agnes vs Gold PTT: which acne treatment fits the breakouts on your face?
Agnes heats a chosen oil gland through an insulated needle, while Gold PTT calms oil across an area with gold particles and a laser. On our 20 August 2026 list, Agnes full face is 199,000 KRW and Gold PTT 450,000 KRW.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Jang Dong-hoon · Founder & Medical Director
Published · 8 min read
Agnes vs Gold PTT: if your acne keeps coming back after facials, creams and extractions, which of the two is worth paying for?
Give this page a few minutes before you choose one because a friend had it, since the two reach the oil gland in quite different ways.
By the end you will know how each one works, which kind of acne each suits, what each costs on our list, how many days of small scabs to plan for, and when we use both or neither.
Hello, I'm Dr. Jang Dong-hoon, Founder & Medical Director of THE Beautiful Clinic in Seoul. The doctor who examines you plans and treats you, with a coordinator in the room, and clinic staff interpret at no charge.
I wrote this because the two names are often said in one breath, as if they were two brands of the same thing. They are not, and choosing by popularity rather than by the acne in front of you is how a course ends with spots back where they started.
The short answer: Agnes suits acne that returns in the same spots, along the jaw, or as deep nodules that last for weeks, because it treats those particular glands. Gold PTT suits oily skin with breakouts spread across the face, because it works on oil activity over a wider area. Some faces need both, and the examination decides which.
Agnes vs Gold PTT: the question that decides it
The useful question is not which one is stronger. It is whether your acne lives in a few stubborn glands or in oil activity across the whole area. The table puts the two side by side.
| Agnes | Gold PTT | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | An insulated fine needle releases radiofrequency heat at the gland | Gold particles are carried into the follicles, then a laser heats them |
| What it targets | Particular sebaceous glands, one point at a time | Oil activity across a treated area |
| Acne it suits | Same-spot recurrence, jawline, inflamed and nodular acne | Oily skin with spots spread across the face |
| What the result depends on | Placing the heat in the right gland | How deep the particles reach before the laser |
| Visible downtime | Small scabs for 2–4 days | Not on our list of visible-downtime treatments |
I made the same comparison in a short video for our YouTube channel. It is in Korean and runs just under four minutes, and everything it says about the two methods is written out on this page.
Agnes: when the same spot keeps coming back
An Agnes acne treatment places a very fine insulated needle into the skin. The insulation runs along the shaft, so radiofrequency heat reaches the sebaceous gland at the tip and nowhere else. That heat coagulates the gland directly, and the surface above it is left intact.
Because the gland itself is treated, acne tends to come back far less often in the treated pores. That is the difference from extraction, which empties a pore without touching the gland that filled it. Agnes is CE and MFDS cleared. We reach for it most in four situations:
- Acne that returns in the same place, month after month.
- Jawline acne that sits deep and tender along the lower face.
- Inflamed acne that stays red and sore for days at a time.
- Nodular acne that lasts for weeks rather than days.
The cost is time and a few small marks. Each gland is treated one at a time under topical anaesthetic, and the sensation is moderate. Small scabs form at the treated points and come away in 2–4 days, so Agnes belongs early in a trip.
Gold PTT: when oil is spread across the face
Gold PTT stands for gold photothermal therapy. Gold particles are delivered into the follicles, around the sebaceous glands, and a laser of a specific wavelength is applied afterwards. The particles absorb that light and turn it into heat where they sit.
What matters most is how far the particles get, not how strong the laser is. Gold particles left on the surface give the laser little to act on at the gland. That is why we use a low-frequency ultrasound device to push the particles deeper, towards the pores and the glands around them, before the laser is applied.
Published work points the same way. The trials that first described the method used mechanical vibration to carry the particles into the follicles before an 800 nm laser, with three sessions given one to two weeks apart. A 2024 laboratory study on pig skin found that ultrasound, combined with fine laser channels, brought the particles close to the glands.
Signs that point to Gold PTT rather than Agnes:
- Skin that turns shiny by midday across the forehead, nose and cheeks.
- Small inflamed spots spread over a wide area, rather than a few repeat sites.
- Pores that clog again soon after every extraction.
Gold PTT is not on our list of treatments with visible downtime. Like any laser here, it is not done on the day you fly, because cabin air is dry and the pressure changes.
When we use both, and in what order
Acne rarely has one cause. A face can be oily all over and also have three glands along the jaw that flare every month. Treating only the oil leaves those glands, and treating only those glands leaves the oily skin that keeps clogging pores elsewhere.
- The 3D Meta-Vu scan first. Makeup comes off and the face is photographed, so inflammation, redness and pores are judged from the same images.
- The repeat sites. Agnes treats the glands that keep inflaming, early in your stay because of the scab days.
- The wider oil activity. Gold PTT works across the area, as a series of sessions.
- The red marks. Where spots have left redness behind, Vbeam Perfecta can be added, because it targets the small vessels behind those marks.
That combination is the clinic's Acne Package: Gold PTT three times, Vbeam three times and Agnes once. It is for a face with all three problems at once. It is not the starting point for everyone, and many faces need only one of the three.
Cost and downtime side by side
Agnes is priced by the lesion, by the area or for the full face, with the needle tip charged per session. Gold PTT is priced per session. These are the figures on our list:
| Treatment | Unit | KRW | Visible downtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes | Per lesion | 5,000 | Small scabs 2–4 days |
| Agnes | Partial area (1 area) | 129,000 | Small scabs 2–4 days |
| Agnes | Full face | 199,000 | Small scabs 2–4 days |
| Agnes tip | Per session | 11,000 | Charged with Agnes |
| Gold PTT | 1 session | 450,000 | Not on our visible-downtime list |
| Acne Package | Gold PTT ×3, Vbeam ×3, Agnes ×1 | 1,290,000 | Agnes scabs 2–4 days, Vbeam redness for a few hours |
Prices are from the list of 20 August 2026 and exclude 10% VAT. The final figure is confirmed at consultation, after the 3D Meta-Vu scan and before anything is started.
Two things move a quote. For Agnes, it is how many glands or areas need treating, and for Gold PTT, how many sessions your skin needs. A course is charged at the single-session rate, and Vbeam on its own is 179,000 KRW a session.
Who should ask first, and when we recommend neither
We state the limit before the benefit. Neither treatment suits every face, and sometimes the honest answer is neither:
- If you take isotretinoin, or any medication that affects healing, tell us before anything is booked, and tell us your medical history in consultation.
- If your acne flares with your cycle along the jaw, a hormonal cause may need a doctor at home as well. Our guide to acne treatment in Korea and checking a clinic covers that question.
- If the problem is now dips and scars rather than active spots, neither of these is the tool. Our acne scar laser guide compares resurfacing and RF microneedling.
- If only red marks are left and the breakouts have stopped, a vascular laser fits better. See Vbeam for redness after acne.
- If your flight is the next morning, Agnes scabs will travel with you, and no laser is done on a flying day.
Avoid sun exposure and retinoids for a few days before laser work, and come with clean skin and no makeup if you can. When you are ready to settle the Agnes vs Gold PTT question in person, you can choose Agnes in the booking form. The consultation decides the final plan either way.
The short version
- Agnes coagulates a chosen sebaceous gland with radiofrequency through an insulated needle, and suits acne that returns in the same spots.
- Gold PTT heats gold particles inside the follicles with a laser, and suits oily skin with breakouts across an area; how deep the particles reach matters more than laser strength.
- On the list of 20 August 2026, before 10% VAT, Agnes is 5,000 KRW per lesion, 129,000 KRW per area and 199,000 KRW for the full face, and Gold PTT is 450,000 KRW a session.
- Agnes leaves small scabs for 2–4 days, so it goes early in a trip.
- The Acne Package (Gold PTT ×3, Vbeam ×3, Agnes ×1) is 1,290,000 KRW on the same list, for a face with repeat glands, oily skin and red marks at once.
Questions patients ask
Which is better for acne, Agnes or Gold PTT?
Neither is better in general. Agnes suits acne that returns in the same spots, jawline acne and nodular acne, while Gold PTT suits oily skin with breakouts spread across an area. Some faces need both, decided after the 3D Meta-Vu scan.
How much do Agnes and Gold PTT cost in Korea?
At THE Beautiful Clinic, Agnes is 5,000 KRW per lesion, 129,000 KRW per area or 199,000 KRW for the full face, plus an 11,000 KRW tip per session, and Gold PTT is 450,000 KRW a session. These are on the list of 20 August 2026, before 10% VAT, and the final figure is confirmed at consultation.
Does Agnes hurt?
Agnes is done under topical anaesthetic and the sensation is moderate. Each gland is treated one at a time, so the session takes patience.
How long is the downtime after Agnes or Gold PTT?
Agnes leaves small scabs at the treated points that come away in 2–4 days. Gold PTT is not on the clinic's list of treatments with visible downtime, but no laser is done on the day you fly.
How many Gold PTT sessions do I need?
It depends on your skin and is set at consultation. Each session is charged at the single-session rate, and the clinic's Acne Package includes three Gold PTT sessions.
Can I have Agnes and Gold PTT together?
Yes, when a face has both repeat glands and wider oil activity. The Acne Package combines Gold PTT three times, Vbeam three times and Agnes once for 1,290,000 KRW, on the list of 20 August 2026 and before 10% VAT.
How do I find out which one I need from abroad?
Send a daylight photo of your face and your Seoul dates on WhatsApp. The clinic answers within 24 business hours, asking books nothing, and the final plan is made after the 3D Meta-Vu scan.
Results and recovery vary between individuals, and every treatment can have side effects. Prices are from the clinic's price list and are confirmed at consultation. This article is general information, not a diagnosis.
Sources
About the author
Dr. Jang Dong-hoon
Founder & Medical Director
Founder and medical director of THE Beautiful Clinic in Nonhyeon, Gangnam. He sees every patient's skin analysis before a plan is drawn, and reviews every article on this blog against what the clinic actually does.
Credentials in full
