A multi-colored tattoo, .

treated with just one

wavelength—are you getting proper care?

Before you know it, the season

for short sleeves is coming.

Many people want to remove theirs before summer,

before meeting the in-laws,

or before important occasions.

Today, for those looking into tattoo removal for the first time,

or those who have had several sessions elsewhere

but say blue ink won’t fade well—

that’s a wavelength issue, haha.

Based on my real clinical experience,

I organized the things

I often thought, “I wish you had known this beforehand.”

First, let’s start by covering

the three most frequently asked questions.

Q. Can tattoo removal

be done with just one type of laser?

A. No.

Depending on the color and pigment depth,

different wavelengths are needed.

I’ll explain in detail below.

Q. About how many sessions

for complete removal?

A. It varies by case,

but there are criteria we can use to predict in advance.

I’ll explain below

which factors affect the number of sessions.

Q. During treatment,

does it hurt a lot?

A. To be honest, yes, it hurts a lot.

But there are ways to reduce pain,

and I’ll explain those differences too.

1. Laser wavelengths,

one is not enough for everything

This is a common misunderstanding:

tattoo pigments, depending on color,

absorb different light wavelengths.

Black and blue tones

respond well to 1064nm,

red and orange tones to 532nm,

and green and sky-blue tones to 694nm

are most effective.

There’s one key point here.

If a clinic only has a single-wavelength device

and treats a tattoo with mixed colors,

some specific colors

may not fade well.

From the outside, treatment was done,

but only some colors fade

while others remain.

From the patient’s perspective,

it feels like “there was no effect,”

but in many cases, it’s simply because

the proper wavelength for that color wasn’t used.

If your tattoo contains multiple colors,

it’s important to choose equipment

and a practitioner capable of multi-wavelength treatment.

1. Number of sessions,

these 3 factors decide it

When asked, “How many sessions to remove it all?”

this is what I say:

“It’s hard to answer immediately,

because we can’t see inside,,

we need to check these three things first.”

1. Pigment depth

The deeper the pigment is embedded in the skin,

the more sessions are needed.

Tattoos done by professional artists

often have deeper, more uniform pigment placement,

so they may respond well,

but still take longer to remove completely.

1. Pigment amount and area

The darker the color and the wider the filled area,

the more energy and sessions are required.

A single line tattoo and a fully colored tattoo

can differ quite a lot in session count.

1. Your immune response

The laser breaks pigment into tiny particles,

and then your immune cells (macrophages)

absorb and clear them.

So it doesn’t end with the laser itself—

what matters is how quickly

your body processes things afterward.

That’s key.

That’s why allowing enough interval between sessions,

UV protection, and maintaining good health

all have real impact on the total number of sessions.

In my experience,

for black single-color line tattoos,

it is often around 5–10 sessions,

while color-filled tattoos

often require longer treatment.

Director Kim Ga-eul’s practical note:

I’ve seen quite a few people who came in saying

they had multiple laser sessions elsewhere

but saw little fading,

and when we checked, treatment intervals were too short,

or the energy had been set

too low in many cases.

No matter how good the device is,

if the energy setting is too conservative,

it’s hard to get results.

On the other hand, if energy is too high,

pigment breaks down faster,

but the risk of burns or hyperpigmentation rises.

After building up many cases,

I’ve again confirmed that

balancing proper energy and interval

is the most important thing.

1. Pain

Let me be honest

To be honest, it hurts quite a lot.

Many people describe it as a completely different level of pain

compared with getting the tattoo.

That’s because the laser delivers

strong instantaneous energy to pigment,

which also irritates the skin itself,

and it tends to be worse for larger areas

or areas near bone.

So before treatment, we

apply numbing cream as standard,

and use air cooling (cold air) at the same time

to lower skin temperature during the procedure.

Using both together

does reduce perceived pain considerably,

but still, it’s hard to say

that it is “not painful.”

There are limits here,

and with current technology,

completely eliminating pain is difficult.

Still, depending on pre-treatment preparation,

the difference is definitely noticeable.

1. Post-treatment care,

is more important than you think

It’s not over just because the laser session is over.

Right after treatment, the skin is in a state

similar to having a wound,

so scabbing for 2–3 days

and swelling can occur.

If you forcibly peel off scabs during this period,

or expose skin to UV without protection,

post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)

or scarring may occur.

The three most important points

in post-treatment care are:

1. Protect the treated area from UV

During recovery, be sure to apply sunscreen

or keep the area covered.

1. Let scabs fall off naturally

If removed forcefully,

the chance of hyperpigmentation increases.

1. Maintain moisture

If skin gets dry, recovery slows

and irritation worsens.

Also, leave enough time before the next session—

in my experience, at least 6–8 weeks are needed.

If the next session is done too soon,

additional irritation hits before skin recovers,

which can actually worsen results.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Are eyebrow tattoos (semi-permanent)

removed with the same laser?

A. Semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos can also be removed with laser,

but because their pigment composition differs from regular tattoos,

responses may appear differently.

Especially with brown and peach-toned pigments,

an oxidation reaction can temporarily darken the color

immediately after laser exposure,

so a test spot is essential before treatment.

Q2. What happens if I stop

midway through removal?

A. Even if you stop midway,

the progress achieved up to that point remains.

Even without aiming for complete removal,

some people simply aim to make it lighter,

and

for cover-up tattoos, there are also cases

where only part of the existing tattoo is removed.

Q3. I got a tattoo recently—

can I remove it right away?

A. It’s better to start removal

at least 4–6 weeks after getting the tattoo.

After the pigment has settled stably in the skin,

the laser responds more efficiently, and

treatment on skin that has itself recovered

helps reduce unnecessary

side effects.

KakaoTalk consultation before your visit is also available.

If you have questions, feel free to contact us.

This was Kim Ga-eul.

✦ Read together

• How many sessions for irezumi tattoo removal? Around 15 on average

• Color tattoo removal with PicoWay: an honest comparison of removal rates by color

• Old tattoo—how many sessions are needed for removal?

• 5 criteria for choosing a dermatology clinic in Hongdae, explained directly by a specialist

• How to treat milia at a dermatology clinic