The Metacel Effect: 5 Treatment Steps to Verify Before Looking at the Kim Kardashian Case

The Metacel effect depends not on who received the treatment, but on the order in which the recovery signals in your blood are awakened.

Since reports of Kim Kardashian's regenerative treatment during her visit to Korea, inquiries have kept climbing.

Today, I'll break down where the Metacel effect begins, along with the five-step sequence and criteria Pixel Lab uses to design this process.

Hello,

I am Dr. Jong-geun Song, Director of Pixel Lab Plastic Surgery in Sinnonhyeon.

I am a board-certified plastic surgeon with 15 years of clinical experience, and I introduced MCT equipment in September 2025. Here, I will share only the protocols I designed myself and the standards I have verified.

If a celebrity received this treatment, would I get the same results?

This is a question I hear often from first-time consultation patients.

However, knowing who received a treatment does not explain why its effect occurs.

That's why I start with the principles and process rather than trends.

How much of the Kim Kardashian report has actually been confirmed?

The reports only state that she received an autologous blood-based regenerative program at a clinic in Seoul.

They have not disclosed which equipment was used, how many cc of blood were drawn, or which mode was applied.

To be clear, this treatment was not performed at Pixel Lab.

The report was not news to me, since Pixel Lab already uses autologous blood-based regenerative care in our treatments.

What I do clearly sense in consultations, however, is that patients' interest is shifting from injecting ready-made skin boosters to personalized regeneration that activates components derived from their own blood.

Where does the Metacel effect begin?

It starts not with an ingredient injected from outside, but with the growth factors already in your blood. Platelets, ATP, and autologous exosomes work alongside them.

Simply put, growth factors are signals that tell cells to repair, and ATP is the energy cells use to respond to those signals.

Unlike a typical nutrient injection that replenishes missing nutrients from outside, Metacel is closer to boosting the signals and energy your body already has in order to manage the recovery environment itself.

In consultations, I explain it this way: if a standard nutrient injection is like pouring water into a cracked jar, Metacel is closer to repairing the jar itself.

Autologous exosomes originate from your own blood and are generally considered to carry less foreign-body or immune burden than externally derived components, but individual reactions vary.

Metacel does not separately harvest cells from fat or bone marrow.

Because it activates components already present in the blood drawn, its approach is fundamentally different from the commonly known stem cell procedures.

This is the first distinction I explain in consultations.

Why does Pixel Lab activate the blood twice?

The sequence I have fixed for this process is as follows.

Existing PRP injections already contain growth factors and exosomes. However, most of them remain dormant, and that is their limitation.

If PRF is the step that physically concentrates platelets, MCT is the step that awakens what is already there, using multiple wavelengths of light and temperature.

According to the manufacturer's test data, after this process, five growth factors and ATP, the cell's energy source, are activated to about three times the level of conventional PRP. It is also reported that the release of approximately 299.3 billion autologous exosomes per mL, measured by NTA, has been confirmed.

However, these values were measured under laboratory conditions.

Because each person's blood condition differs, I present these numbers only as a basis for choosing equipment, not as a prediction of results.

Each growth factor in the blood plays a different role.

Why is the NAD+ drip administered before Metacel?

NAD+ is a coenzyme involved in cellular energy metabolism.

I give this drip first for two reasons.

The first is to create an energy environment that can receive the activated blood.

The second is to dilate peripheral blood vessels and open pathways so that Metacel can reach every corner of the body.

I describe it as building roads in advance all the way to the farthest village at the land's end.

So I administer the NAD+ drip first, then the red (Metacel) drip together with the yellow and pink drips.

This is also why everything, from hyperbaric oxygen and blood draw to double activation and the four-color IV drips, is linked in a set sequence within a single visit.

When and after how many sessions will results appear?

The Metacel effect does not appear all at once.

Some changes, like complexion or redness, can be felt relatively quickly, while others, like collagen production or elasticity, take several weeks.

In my experience, many patients have noticed redness and complexion improving around the first week, and wrinkles and elasticity improving from around the third week.

Blood volume is directly tied to the treatment area.

At Pixel Lab, we draw 30 cc for the Light package and 60 cc for the Premium package.

For skin boosters, a 30 cc draw covers mainly the butterfly zone, while a 60 cc draw extends injections to the entire face and neck lines.

Whether for the face or the whole body, I plan for continuous care rather than a single session.

I use a standard of three or more consecutive sessions, spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart, and track progress along the way.

In my experience, patients who complete the series in succession tend to report that their changes last longer.

However, the number of sessions and the volume are adjusted to each person's condition, and they do not guarantee identical results.

When I do not recommend it

I do not recommend it for patients who expect a definitive Metacel effect from a single session.

Metacel focuses on restoring a depleted condition rather than pushing an already good condition further. If you want immediate changes in facial contour, it is better to consider other options alongside it with your doctor.

I also do not recommend it as-is for patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have claustrophobia or chronic lung disease that limits the hyperbaric oxygen stage. In those cases, I redesign the protocol.

Most related research is still small-scale and early-stage clinical work, so the most accurate view is that the findings show potential.

Frequently asked questions

Q. I came in after seeing the Kim Kardashian report. Can I receive the same treatment?

The reports alone do not confirm what equipment and protocol were used.

Even with the same type of technology, it is hard to say the treatment is identical if blood conditions and goals differ.

At Pixel Lab, we follow the process I have set, from hyperbaric oxygen therapy through double activation.

Q. How is the Metacel effect different from a regular nutrient injection?

A regular nutrient injection replenishes missing ingredients from outside, while Metacel activates regenerative signals obtained from your own blood.

Put simply, their purposes are fundamentally different.

Q. Isn't the blood draw a burden?

At 30 to 60 cc, it is less than a standard blood donation.

However, if you have anemia or your blood is difficult to draw, we will reassess whether to proceed during the consultation.

Q. Can I have it after laser treatment?

It is sometimes performed alongside laser treatment for post-laser recovery care.

When combined with skin procedures, we finish with a focus on recovery through hyperbaric oxygen.

Q. Is Metacel a stem cell procedure?

It is different from procedures that harvest cells from fat or bone marrow and inject them.

Metacel uses components separated from your own drawn blood and activated for use.

For patients who come to me concerned about lingering fatigue or skin that no longer looks the way it used to, I always start by explaining the sequence.

Create the right environment with hyperbaric oxygen, gather with PRF, awaken with MCT, and then connect it all with NAD+ and combination IV drips.

A celebrity's choice is only a reference point. Please base your decision on your current blood and condition.

Since each clinic's protocol may differ, I recommend confirming the treatment process at your consultation first.

*This post was written directly by Pixel Lab Plastic Surgery Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information and promotion, in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Service Act. All treatments and surgeries carry the possibility of side effects depending on the individual, so we strongly recommend making decisions only after thorough consultation with qualified medical professionals.

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