"Doctor, if I do 10 sessions, will it really all be gone?"

— A question I got even yesterday

Check this first before reading

Q. I went in for a consultation,

and they immediately recommended a "10-session package,"

is that normal?

A. Honestly, that's closer to average sales talk.

If a place locks in the number of sessions without a prior evaluation,

you should assume they are

ignoring variables like color and touch-up.

Q. It's the same PicoWay, so

why are the results so different from one hospital/clinic to another?

A. It comes down completely to the operator's skill with the handpieces (toning vs. zoom)

and the accuracy of the session design.

Even with the same device,

results vary widely depending on who uses it.

Picoway looks pretty much the same, right?

But the truth is

PicoWay delivers laser pulses in trillionths of a second

to shatter tattoo ink

into tiny pieces.

Because it uses three wavelengths, 1064nm, 785nm, and 532nm,

it can respond to different colors

from black all the way to yellow.

Unlike other pico devices,

PicoWay is characterized by using its handpieces

separately for toning and zoom

treatments.

Why does one person clear it in 5 sessions,

while another needs 12?

Director Wi Young-jin's

key insight

Before asking, "How many sessions will it take?"

check whether they evaluate you with the

Kirby-Desai scale.

If they talk about the number of sessions without an evaluation,

it's likely sales talk that ignores variables.

Tattoo removal is similar to

sifting out grains of sand one by one from muddy water.

When ink particles are broken up into tiny pieces, our immune cells

clean them up and remove them from the body.

Variables like color, depth, amount of ink, and skin tone

all differ from person to person.

That's why in medicine,

we use an assessment tool called the

'Kirby-Desai scale.'

A 45-year-old patient who came in last year

had been told elsewhere that "10 sessions would be enough,"

and received 5 sessions, but less than half had faded.

When we reassessed, due to the amount and depth of the ink,

it was a case that needed 12 sessions or more.

With PicoWay, you need to hit the deep-layer ink

using the Zoom handpiece,

and if you only keep repeating toning,

the number of sessions just goes up

and you only waste money.

Director Wi Young-jin's key summary

If the answer to "How many sessions will it take?"

comes out as a number right away,

that's not an evaluation—it's sales.

You need to find a place that properly scores the case and

designs the treatment precisely by combining toning and zoom.

For a clinic that does tattoo removal well,

look for these 5 things

Especially check whether the doctor personally looks at how much fades each session

and changes the energy settings.

The 3 most common

questions in the exam room

Q1. "Can I ask you to evaluate me with the Kirby-Desai scale?"

Is it okay to say that?

A. Of course. From a doctor's perspective,

it's only natural to be glad when someone has studied beforehand.

If a place is flustered by that question,

it's proof that session design is being done based on averages.

Q2. Which is better, per-session pricing or a package?

A. If it's a single color and small,

a package may be advantageous.

But if it's a color tattoo or a large piece,

per-session payment, which allows flexible adjustments

while watching progress, is safer.

Q3. After the procedure, I got blisters or

hyperpigmentation. Is that normal?

A. Small blisters may be within the normal range.

But if fluid keeps oozing,

or pigmentation spreads around the area,

that's a sign the energy was too strong or the aftercare wasn't right,

so you should come in right away.

If you take only one thing away today,

don't start by asking about the number of sessions,

and first check whether they use a pre-assessment tool.

In the next article,

'how to score the 6 items of the Kirby-Desai scale

on your own tattoo' I'll show you.

This has been Wi Young-jin.

Also read

• To those considering tattoo removal in Hongdae and Hapjeong, Dr. Wi Young-jin answers your questions

• Tattoo removal at 30,000 won for one session? "If you calculate the total cost, you'll get fooled"

• PicoWay tattoo removal—on average, how many sessions until it's gone?