Laser SMP:
everything you need to know

That is correct. However, about 2 hours of continuous treatment can sting somewhat. To be safe, I recommend applying anesthetic ointment and disinfecting before starting.

It is fast, and because the pigment has difficulty escaping back out the path it entered, fewer retouches are needed.

Cases where laser SMP results went wrong share one thing in common: the procedure was pushed ahead without sufficient experience. It is one of the biggest misconceptions — this device is by no means easy to learn or easy to handle. If anything, it is harder than the needle. A skilled practitioner can rapidly place dots so small and delicate that they are difficult to render with a needle.

Continuing this procedure over the years opened many opportunities, and I have traveled to countries around the world demonstrating it live in front of other doctors. With dozens of experienced physicians from many countries watching intently through 2–8x loupes, if there had been any problem with the size or uniformity of my dots, I would never have been able to lecture anywhere again.

A record of SMP demonstrations and lectures given before academic societies and companies at home and abroad.

• 2019.11SMP live demonstration at the ISHRS live session (Bangkok)
• 2019.12Lecture to executives at Aderans Tokyo headquarters
• 2020.01Lecture to UK SMP specialists and the Taiwan DCDC medical team
• 2020.02Lecture for SMP specialists at Bosley LA (USA)
• 2023.01Invited speaker, HAIRCON 2023 SMP workshop (India)
• 2023.07Live surgery demonstration, 7th Asian AHRS meeting
• 2023.09SMP demonstration & lecture, 7th domestic medical-device forum (Inha Univ. Dermatology)
• 2025.07Live surgery demonstration, 9th Asian AHRS meeting

That is correct. In the end, the only way to judge whether a dot has gone in deep is to look and assess with your own eyes. For a beginner it is almost like seeing with the mind's eye — very hard to distinguish. With laser SMP in particular, even when pigment goes in too deep or in too great a quantity, the hole on the skin surface is extremely fine, and the pigment only spreads once it reaches the dermis, so without sufficient experience it is difficult to recognize right away. Someone with extensive needle experience sees it and knows immediately, and learns that much faster.

From the practitioner's side, the complaint is that pigment splatters and obscures the dots just placed — and for an inexperienced practitioner, that can happen. If pigment is sprayed while the nozzle tip is not properly in contact with the skin, the pigment does not enter the skin but only smears on the surface, clouding the view. Once the practitioner is skilled and times it precisely, this no longer occurs, and with enough experience you can work while watching each dot land in fine detail.

The device itself is very expensive (tens of millions of won), and the consumables cost far more than for needle work, which is a real burden for a clinic. A needle runs about 1,000–2,000 won, while a single-use laser nozzle is in the 50,000–100,000 won range — a big gap. Cheap pigment hardens quickly and clogs the nozzle, so high-quality pigment must be selected as well.

Even so, as those who have shopped around will know, the price gap between an experienced needle-based SMP shop and laser SMP performed by a doctor is not large. In some cases the shop is actually more expensive. Because we use only good consumables down to the last item, over the long run the results can only be better.

A question I get a lot. Honestly, I wonder whether anyone else could answer it, since as far as I know, no one else can do both. As currently the only doctor capable of both, I go beyond dot-based SMP and regularly perform fine-art tattoo work as well, using the needle to render dots, lines, and shading in a range of colors.

Here is how I see the strengths of each. For placing small, delicate black dots uniformly and quickly, the laser is better — and for patients sensitive to pain, the laser is also better. For skin that is uneven or where scarring has left the epidermis inconsistent in thickness, the needle is better. Pigment viscosity varies by color, and for colors with very high viscosity, the needle also has the advantage.

Used appropriately for each situation, the two together can create results that neither could achieve alone. When a patient's satisfaction comes first, instead of insisting that whatever I currently do best must be better, I find myself asking what more I can do for a better result. That question keeps me learning and researching.