The total cost of tattoo removal is one session's price multiplied by the number of sessions you need. Size sets the per-session price, while your skin, the tattoo's location, its colors, the amount of ink and any scarring set the session count. In a study of 100 patients, removal took 9.91 sessions on average, with a range of 3 to 20.

That range is why a low price per session can still add up to a large bill, so it pays to estimate your own count before you compare quotes. In this article, we'll cover how the price is set, how to score your tattoo, why two tattoos of the same size can differ, how long the whole course takes and what a quote should spell out.

Quick summary

• Your total is the per-session price times your sessions, and a six-part score lets you estimate the sessions in advance.

• Price list: a card-sized tattoo starts at ₩190,000 per session (VAT excluded, as of September 8, 2026).

• In 100 patients, sessions averaged 9.91 and ranged from 3 to 20.

• Spacing: sessions are usually 6 to 8 weeks apart, so more sessions also means more months.

What Sets the Total Cost of Tattoo Removal?

The session count moves your total more than the per-session price does. The price of one session is set by the size of the tattoo, but two tattoos of the same size can fade at very different speeds. Our price list shows the per-session price for a card-sized tattoo.

Seoul clinic pricing, subject to change. If your tattoo is larger than a card, it's measured first and the per-session price is set at the consultation. You can check current figures on the price page.

Multiply that price by the sessions your tattoo is likely to need, and you'll have a working estimate. The score in the next section gives you that second number.

How Many Tattoo Removal Sessions Will Yours Need?

Add up six scores and you'll land close to your session count. That's the idea behind the Kirby-Desai scale, a scoring table two US doctors proposed in 2009 to predict how many laser sessions a tattoo will take. In their review of 100 patients, the average score was 9.87 and the average number of sessions was 9.91.

Here's a worked example. Skin that sometimes burns and tans gradually scores 3. A simple black design on the wrist adds 5 for location, 1 for color and 2 for ink, so with no scarring and no cover-up the total comes to 11. Put the same design on the upper back and location drops to 2, for a total of 8.

Skin type is on the list because the melanin in darker skin also absorbs laser light. To keep side effects down, the energy is turned lower and sessions are spaced further apart, which adds to the count. A tattoo that scores above 15 may be hard to clear with laser, so a doctor has to judge first whether laser is the right tool for it.

Why Do Two Same-Size Tattoos Need Different Sessions?

Your body clears ink at a different pace in different areas. The laser only shatters the ink into smaller fragments. After that, your body carries those fragments away through the lymphatic system, the drainage network that also moves immune cells around. The head and neck have plenty of lymph nodes and blood vessels, so ink there tends to clear faster, and the pace slows toward the hands and feet.

How densely the ink is packed matters a great deal, too. In a study of 116 people whose black tattoos were treated with a picosecond laser, ink density had the strongest effect on the number of sessions, followed by location, the tattoo's age and how it was applied. Size had no clear link to the session count in that group.

So a simple way to read a quote: size sets the per-session price, while density and location set the sessions. If your tattoo has several colors, how ink color changes the session count is covered in a separate guide.

Is the Session Estimate Accurate With Newer Lasers?

The score is a starting point, not a promise. Even when the average matched, individual counts in the 2009 group stretched from 3 to 20 sessions. The scale was also built around Q-switched lasers, the standard tattoo lasers at the time, used 6 to 8 weeks apart.

Newer lasers have moved toward clearing ink in fewer sessions. A 2024 report on 11 people treated with a different device found an average of 5.09 sessions, fewer than the 9.9 the score had predicted. That group was small and the work involved a researcher from the device maker, so it's hard to carry that number over to every tattoo.

It's more realistic to treat the score as your upper guide. After a few sessions, the speed at which your own tattoo fades tells you far more, and the remaining count can be reset from there. Results differ from person to person.

Tattoo Removal Side Effects: What's Normal and When to Call

Redness, swelling and itching right after the laser are common and can last a few days. Small blisters and scabs are part of normal healing as well. Patches of lighter or darker skin can appear, and they usually fade within 6 to 12 months. Never pick at scabs or blisters while the skin heals.

Don't wait for your next session. Contact the clinic right away if you notice:

• Pus-filled bumps or lumps in the treated area

• A fever or chills

• Pain that gets worse day by day

• Redness that spreads instead of fading

In these cases, it's better to put treatment off:

• You're pregnant or breastfeeding

• Your immune system is weakened by an illness or a medication

• You've had raised scars before (tell the clinic before your first session)

How Long Does Tattoo Removal Take, Start to Finish?

Pulling sessions closer together won't lower the session count. Your skin needs time to heal and your body needs time to clear the shattered ink, and one guideline sets the gap at a minimum of 7 weeks. At 6 to 8 weeks apart, 10 sessions span 54 to 72 weeks from the first to the last, which is well over a year.

Stopping halfway leaves a tattoo that's lighter but not clear, after money you've already spent. Each session removes more ink, and many people stop before the planned course ends. That's why it helps to agree on a budget and a timeline for how far you'll go before session 1.

Fitting Tattoo Removal Into Your Travel Itinerary

Apart from a day when you've had sedation (sleep anesthesia), there's no reason to postpone your flight home because of a tattoo removal session.

It also helps to know what one visit can do. Some treatments, like fillers, change your look on the same day. Most others work gradually, and tattoo removal is one of them: each session fades the ink a little more, and one visit doesn't replace the course of sessions your tattoo needs.

Because sessions are 6 to 8 weeks apart, a long course means several trips to Seoul. The number of trips becomes part of your real cost, so bring your travel dates to the first quote.

Once you're home, you can send photos through the consultation button on this page if you have questions about how the skin is healing. If a reaction looks serious, see a local doctor first rather than waiting on a reply.

The Bottom Line: Score Your Tattoo Before the Quote

Before you compare prices, score your tattoo and ask for a session range rather than a single number. Then check that the quote lists three things: the size of the tattoo, the expected range of sessions and the gap between them. Like any procedure, it comes with trade-offs, and the right plan depends on your skin, your tattoo and your budget.

Beautystone is a clinic in Seoul's Hapjeong area, and you can reach us through the consultation button on this page. In your first message, include a photo of the tattoo, where it is, its colors, whether it was done at home or by a tattoo artist, and whether it covers an older tattoo.

Sources

• A score for predicting tattoo removal sessions and results in 100 patients: J Clin Aesthet Dermatol, 2009

• 11 people who needed fewer sessions than the score predicted: J Cosmet Dermatol, 2024

• What set the session count for black tattoos in 116 people: J Cosmet Dermatol, 2025

• Reactions, aftercare and when to wait on laser tattoo removal: American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)

• Tattoo removal sessions, spacing and reactions after laser: DermNet

• Signs of infection at a tattoo site: Cleveland Clinic