Rewriting My Acne-Prone Skin: Dr. Jinah Yoo’s Korean Protocol
- Vingt Sept
- Jul 25
- 4 min read
There’s nothing more disorienting than being surrounded by beauty and not feeling beautiful. I say that without self-pity, just a quiet resignation that comes from years of battling oily, reactive skin and cystic breakouts while working in an industry that worships the poreless. I’ve tried it all: prescription creams, glycolic peels, LED masks, even the occasional facialist who promised to “reset” my skin. It always resets, back to square one. So when I heard about Dr. Jinah Yoo, a UK-based Consultant Dermatologist bringing Korean regenerative dermatology to London’s Harley Street, I booked in with the smallest flicker of hope.
The Maylin Clinic, founded by Dr. Jinah Yoo, sits discreetly among the polished brass plaques of Harley Street. She also has a second location in Mayfair, which doubles as an art gallery—fitting for a doctor who views the skin not just as a canvas, but as a living, intelligent organ that responds best to gentleness and precision, not punishment. And my skin has been punished. Oily, hormonal, acne-prone, red, and sensitive. I needed something beyond surface-level solutions. I needed skin rehabilitation.
Before anything touched my face, I underwent the Mark-Vu Smart Skin Analysis, a diagnostic dome that uses advanced imaging to assess skin across multiple layers. This wasn’t just a "mirror moment"; it was clinical clarity. The scan revealed subsurface dehydration, enlarged pores, inflammatory hotspots, and pigmentation patterns I’d never noticed. It even tracked vascular activity—a telling sign of sensitivity and reactive skin.
Armed with that data, Dr. Yoo recommended her Korean Glass Skin Protocol, a carefully constructed treatment roadmap that merges Korean science with UK dermatological rigour. At its core is BNV EXO, an ultra-advanced topical booster powered by G4PRF-300, a fourth-generation proteome complex. But first, we needed to create a way for my skin to fully absorb it. Enter: Virtue RF Microneedling.
If you’re wondering what this is all about, here’s the simple version. BNV EXO is an ultra-advanced skin booster packed with powerful proteins that help repair and refresh your skin. It works to reduce fine lines, improve texture, and give your complexion a brighter, more youthful glow.
But for BNV EXO to really do its job, your skin needs to be able to absorb it properly. That’s where Virtue RF Microneedling comes in. This treatment uses tiny needles combined with gentle radiofrequency energy to create small, controlled channels in your skin. These channels help the booster soak in deeply, so it can work more effectively.
On top of that, microneedling itself stimulates your skin’s natural healing process. It encourages collagen production, tightens the skin, and smooths out wrinkles, giving you a refreshed and rejuvenated look. Together, the two treatments boost each other’s benefits, helping you get faster, more noticeable results.
RF (radiofrequency) microneedling isn’t new, but what Dr. Yoo offers is the next generation. The Virtue RF system, imported from Korea, delivers heat-based radiofrequency through tiny, gold-plated microneedles. Each pulse triggers a dual effect: the needles create micro-injuries to stimulate the skin’s wound healing response, while the radiofrequency energy heats the dermis to boost collagen and elastin production. This is regenerative skincare at its most refined, no burning, no scabbing, just a slight warming sensation and a buzz of microcurrents beneath the skin. I was numb from a topical anaesthetic, but could still feel the treatment doing something deeper.
Once the skin was prepped, open, activated, and ready to repair, the BNV EXO serum was applied. Unlike most “boosters” that sit on the surface or offer temporary plumpness, this formula is engineered to recode the skin’s behaviour. Containing over 300 biologically active proteins, peptides, and 26 growth factors, it mimics the body’s natural healing language. The G4PRF-300 complex triggers fibroblast activity, improves extracellular matrix integrity, and reduces inflammation, all without irritating the skin barrier. It doesn't just treat acne or pigmentation; it restructures the way your skin regenerates.
Dr. Yoo explained that the key to long-term results lies in creating synergy: microneedling creates channels and a controlled wound response; BNV delivers the exact signals the skin needs to rebuild—smoother, stronger, clearer.
After the session, my face was tight but not raw. There was no bleeding, no frosting, no panic. Just a low-grade warmth and a hint of tightness. Over the next few days, I noticed early signs of transformation: less surface oil, reduced redness, and a refined texture around my nose and chin. The cystic congestion on my cheeks looked flatter, less angry. Most importantly, there was a resilience I hadn’t felt in years.
By week two, the pigmentation from old breakouts had started to fade. My usual reactive flare-ups were quieter. I felt like I had control again.
Dr. Yoo recommends a course of five to six sessions, spaced every three to four weeks, for cumulative effects, especially on cystic acne, post-inflammatory pigmentation, and long-standing scarring. For deeper scarring, the BNV EXO can be combined with laser or ultrasound to further optimise delivery. But even on its own, the formula’s ability to stimulate dermal repair without causing irritation is extraordinary.
Unlike most targeted treatments, BNV doesn’t rely on antibiotics, acids, or retinoids. It doesn’t strip the skin; it builds it. The absence of steroids, fragrances, and harsh actives makes it suitable for even the most sensitive complexions. And for someone like me, who has hovered between flare-up and flare-down for years, that kind of support feels revolutionary.
The results aren’t overnight, but they are incremental, reliable, and real. There’s a sense of strength in the skin—a rebuilt barrier, less prone to inflammation, more equipped to self-regulate.
What sets Dr. Yoo apart isn’t just her technology, it’s her perspective. She’s not offering a trendy facial; she’s offering an evidence-based future for regenerative skin health. Through Korea Meditech, her own UK-based distribution company, she’s now supplying BNV to other clinics, training professionals, and essentially redefining what Korean beauty means in a clinical, results-focused setting.
In a landscape full of filters, skinfluencers, and temporary glow, Dr. Yoo’s approach feels like a return to truth. To biology. To healing. I’m not chasing perfection anymore, just progress. And after years of feeling at war with my face, I finally feel like we’re on the same team.
For more information, visit HERE
MAYLIN X Dr Jinah Yoo Dermatology
Address: 45 Weymouth St, London W1G 8BY
Phone: 020 7935 3030
Words by Jheanelle Feanny
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