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Name decoder · Laser

Laser hair removal: what Korean menus mean, and what to expect

레이저 제모

Checked 2026-10-22. Prepared with AI assistance from the sources listed below; not reviewed by a doctor. Not medical advice.

레이저 제모 (laser hair removal) on a Korean clinic menu means hair reduction with a medical laser, usually alexandrite (755 nm), diode or Nd:YAG (1064 nm); menus often name the device, such as GentleMax Pro, Clarity II, Apogee or Soprano Titanium.[1][2] In Korea a skin-care business may not use medical devices, so laser hair removal belongs in a medical clinic; the Supreme Court judgment cited here states that rule, though it was not a laser case.[3]

Expect reduction, not complete removal: the Clarity II US clearance describes “permanent hair reduction”.[4] A 2006 Cochrane review reported roughly 50% reduction with alexandrite and diode lasers at follow-up of up to six months; its trials did not document long-term removal.[5]

At a glance

Korean names
레이저 제모 (laser hair removal). Plain 제모 (hair removal) is also offered at skin-care shops (피부관리실), which may not use medical devices.[3]
Laser types
Alexandrite 755 nm, diode, and long-pulsed Nd:YAG 1064 nm; several devices combine 755 and 1064 nm.[4][1]
Device names on menus
GentleMax Pro / Pro Plus, Clarity II, Apogee, Soprano Titanium (examples from Korean menus, not a ranking).[1][6][2]
Who does it
A medical clinic. A Supreme Court ruling quotes the rule that skin-care businesses may not use medical devices;[3] a health ministry official said in 2009 that nurse aides doing laser procedures on their own count as unlicensed medical practice.[7]
How it is sold
By body area, per session (회) or as 5- or 10-session packages.[2][8]

In Korean searches

Among the 33 treatments we track on Naver, Laser hair removal ranks #3 by Korean search interest (index 39; the most-searched = 100). The question people add most often: “How much?” (9.1% of its searches). Google searches in Korea for its main Korean name: +39% in Jul 2026–Sep 2026 compared with Oct 2025–Dec 2025.

From the Korea Treatment Radar, October 2026. Search interest, not treatments performed.

What the evidence says

A Cochrane review of 11 trials found about 50% short-term hair reduction with alexandrite and diode lasers up to six months, and no documented long-term removal; none of the trials was high quality.[5] US 510(k) clearances define permanent hair reduction as a long-term, stable fall in the number of hairs regrowing at 6, 9 and 12 months after a course.[4]

In studies of Fitzpatrick skin types III–VI, a 2020 meta-analysis found less post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (dark marks after treatment) with long-pulsed Nd:YAG than with IPL; the authors described outcomes as broadly similar overall, while alexandrite reduced hair counts more than IPL.[9] One Korean doctor writes that many patients see reduction after about five sessions and that beards often need ten or more; that is one clinic’s experience, not a guarantee.[6]

Not the same as

  • Hair removal at a skin-care shop (피부관리실): skin-care businesses may not use medical devices.[3]
  • IPL: a broad-spectrum light device, not a laser, compared against lasers in the studies above.[9]
  • Clarity on a menu without 제모: Clarity II is also cleared in the US for benign pigmented lesions, so the device name alone does not tell you the treatment.[4]

Questions to ask the clinic

  1. Will a licensed doctor do the treatment, or another staff member?
  2. Which device and wavelength will you use for my skin type?
  3. How many sessions does the package assume, and is maintenance expected afterwards?
  4. How far apart are sessions, and can I fit them around my trips?
  5. What do I do if I get a burn or pigment change after I fly home?

Sources

  1. Gangnam Unni (Korean clinic platform): laser hair removal device names on Korean menus, updated October 2026 (usage)↩1↩2↩3
  2. Seoul clinic page: Soprano Titanium laser hair removal, sold per session by area (usage)↩1↩2↩3
  3. Supreme Court of Korea, 2015도13698, May 12, 2016 (skin-care business and medical devices)↩1↩2↩3↩4
  4. US FDA 510(k) K183566: Lutronic CLARITY II, June 14, 2019 (755 nm alexandrite + 1064 nm Nd:YAG; permanent hair reduction)↩1↩2↩3↩4
  5. Haedersdal M, Gøtzsche PC. Laser and photoepilation for unwanted hair growth. Cochrane review, 2006↩1↩2
  6. A Korean doctor’s blog on laser hair removal devices and session counts, September 2026 (usage)↩1↩2
  7. Medical Times, July 16, 2009: health ministry official on laser procedures by nurse aides↩
  8. Clinic listing on Gangnam Unni: 5- and 10-session packages by area (usage)↩
  9. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020: systematic review and meta-analysis of hair removal in Fitzpatrick III–VI skin (doi 10.1111/jdv.15995)↩1↩2

Manufacturer pages establish what a product is, not that it works. Regulatory filings describe what a regulator cleared or approved in that country. Glow in Seoul editorial; no clinic paid for or reviewed this page. See our transparency page.