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Name decoder · Energy device

LDM: the ultrasound add-on on Korean menus, and what it is approved for

LDM · 물방울 리프팅

Checked 2026-10-23. Prepared with AI assistance from the sources listed below; not reviewed by a doctor. Not medical advice.

LDM on a Korean menu, often called 물방울 리프팅 (“water-drop lifting”), is a session of unfocused ultrasound from a contact handpiece, sold as soothing, hydration or after-laser care.[1][2] LDM is the German maker Wellcomet’s trademark for “local dynamic micro-massage”, ultrasound that switches between two or three frequencies many times a second.[3]

The two Korean approval records we reviewed classify the listed LDM models as class 2 ultrasound stimulators for pain relief; their stated purposes do not include skin care or lifting.[4] It is not the focused ultrasound behind Ulthera or Shurink, which heats and coagulates tissue below the skin.[5]

At a glance

Korean names
LDM, LDM 물방울 리프팅, 물방울리프팅. Sessions of 12–20 minutes, alone or in packs of 5 or 10.[1][6]
Maker
Wellcomet GmbH, Bruchsal, Germany, founded 2003. Its Korean partner, Wellcomet Asia, both imports and manufactures LDM devices.[7][4]
Korean approval
수인11-587호 (imported LDM-MED, 2011) and 제인21-5008호 (made in Korea, 2021): 초음파자극기 (ultrasound stimulator), class 2, for relief of pain.[4]
Settings
The Korean-made model lists 1, 3 and 10 MHz and an intensity of 0.1–1.0 W/cm² in its filed instructions.[4]
US
We searched the US FDA device databases on October 23, 2026 and found no clearance for Wellcomet or LDM devices.
How it is sold
Often as an add-on in packages with peels, lasers or skin boosters.[8][2]

In Korean searches

Among the 33 treatments we track on Naver, LDM ranks #24 by Korean search interest (index 6; the most-searched = 100). The question people add most often: “How much?” (6.3% of its searches). Google searches in Korea for its main Korean name: +14% in Jul 2026–Sep 2026 compared with Oct 2025–Dec 2025.

From the Korea Treatment Radar, October 2026. Search interest, not treatments performed.

What the evidence shows

Both studies discussed here include a Wellcomet-affiliated author. The 2012 facial study had 39 participants, was not randomized, and assessed results about a week after 8–12 sessions; it reported small improvements in wrinkle and pore grades and said they were not as marked as with fillers.[9][10]

A retrospective study of 48 rhinoplasty patients at clinics in Seoul and Incheon reported shorter swelling and bruising with LDM than with ice packs.[10] Korean studies of other dual-frequency facial ultrasound devices are not evidence for LDM.[11]

Who should not have it

The Korean-made model’s filed precautions rule it out in pregnancy and for children, with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, in thrombosis, over burned, inflamed or infected skin, and within 3 months of surgery in the area.[4]

Not the same as

  • Ulthera and Shurink (HIFU): focused ultrasound that coagulates tissue below the skin, sold for lifting.[5]
  • Other dual-frequency facial ultrasound devices, such as SONO STYLER: different makers and different studies.[11]
  • CRYOLDM: a different company’s combination stimulator with LDM in its name.[4]

Questions to ask the clinic

  1. Which machine is this: Wellcomet LDM-MED, LDM-Smart Tri, or another make?
  2. Which frequencies and how many minutes for my face?
  3. Is it done right after my laser or on another day, and by whom?
  4. What should I expect, and how long does it last? Is any of it lifting?
  5. Is anything ruling it out for me (pregnancy, a pacemaker, inflamed skin, recent surgery)?
  6. If it is part of a package, can I skip it or have it alone?

Sources

  1. Clinic listing on Gangnam Unni: LDM 물방울 리프팅, 20 minutes (usage)↩1↩2
  2. Doctornow (doctor-written article), October 30, 2023: LDM 물방울 리프팅 (usage)↩1↩2
  3. Wellcomet GmbH: LDM technology (German)↩
  4. MFDS medical device register: LDM-MED (수인11-587호) and Epion Tri / LDM-Smart Tri (제인21-5008호), ultrasound stimulators (search “LDM”), with filed performance, instructions and precautions↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6
  5. US FDA 510(k) K243035: Ulthera System, 2025 (device description)↩1↩2
  6. Clinic listing on Gangnam Unni: 물방울리프팅 in 1, 5 and 10 sessions (usage)↩
  7. Wellcomet GmbH: company profile (German)↩
  8. Clinic listing on Gangnam Unni: LDM bundled with a skin booster, toning laser and an injection (usage)↩
  9. Meyer-Rogge D et al. J Cosmet Dermatol Sci Appl 2012;2:68–73: facial skin rejuvenation with LDM, 39 subjects, non-randomized (author from Wellcomet)↩
  10. Ahn TH et al. J Cosmet Dermatol 2024;23(3):830–838: LDM after rhinoplasty, retrospective, 48 patients (co-author from Wellcomet)↩1↩2
  11. Kim YJ et al. J Clin Med 2021;10(4):834: dual-frequency ultrasound (SONO STYLER) for rosacea and acne↩1↩2

Manufacturer pages establish what a product is, not that it works. Regulatory filings describe what a regulator cleared or approved in that country. Glow in Seoul editorial; no clinic paid for or reviewed this page. See our transparency page.