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Skin analysis room at Dear Clinic Cheongdam where the face is imaged before a pigmentation plan is written
Dear Clinic · Skin Concerns · Pigment
Read first, then prescribed — in Cheongdam, Gangnam, Seoul

Skin Pigmentation Treatment in Cheongdam, Gangnam, Seoul

Brown on a face is a category, and the marks inside it behave so differently that one course cannot serve them all. What is offered here is a reading that names your pattern, then the line written for it.

Four pigment lines, quoted separately EVE Muse 3D reading first Open 365 days
Have Your Marks Named See the Published Lines
The short answer

Skin pigmentation is a family of findings, not one diagnosis

Pigmentation covers several unrelated conditions that share a colour. Sun spots, freckles, brown traces left by old inflammation and the red marks mistaken for them each sit at their own depth and answer to their own setting. Dear Clinic reads which ones you carry, then names the published line written for that pattern.

The consequence is practical. Book a long course for what turns out to be a handful of discrete sun spots and you have bought a schedule you did not need; book one aggressive pass for a diffuse hormonal field and you have bought a rebound. Both mistakes start in the same place: a colour was treated as a diagnosis.

Faces also rarely carry one pattern. Freckles across a nose can sit over a field of older marks, and a cheek can hold brown plus a flush that reads as brown until a different light falls on it. The plan is written around that mixture.

One member of this family is handled apart. Melasma relapses, reacts to heat and punishes over-treatment, so it carries its own protocol and its own page — the melasma treatment route.

What is actually on the face

The pigmentation patterns a Cheongdam plan separates before quoting

Four patterns account for most of what arrives described as pigmentation, and they are grouped here by how they behave.

Sun spots

Discrete marks where the light has landed longest

Sharp-edged, scattered without symmetry, concentrated across cheekbones, temples and the bridge of the nose. They accumulate with years of exposure and do not fade between winters. Because each has an edge, they can be worked as individual lesions in one planned visit.

Freckles

Inherited speckling that darkens through the bright months

Small, warm-toned, clustered over the nose and upper cheeks, and visibly darker after a summer. They sit high in the skin, which is why they respond quickly, and they return with the next season of sun. The framing here is management and not erasure.

Post-inflammatory brown

The trace an old spot leaves once the spot has gone

Flat brown or grey-brown shadows where acne, an ingrown hair or a reaction once sat. They carry no depression, so nothing here rebuilds tissue, and they fade on their own over months. The plan is about shortening that timeline without provoking more pigment.

Red marks

Standing flush that is read as pigment until the light changes

Pink or purple-red traces after inflammation, plus fine vessels and diffuse facial redness. In a mirror they read as part of the same problem; under a vascular reading they separate cleanly. A pigment-directed pass leaves them untouched, so they go on the vascular line.

Two further findings are named at the scan and then sent off this page: slate or blue-grey pigment far below the others, a separate diagnosis, and anything asymmetric that has changed shape, colour or border, which goes for medical assessment first.

Diagnosis

What the EVE Muse reading changes about a pigmentation quote

01

Five light sources, because one of them hides the answer

EVE Muse 3D imaging captures the face under five light sources with AI analysis. Light of different kinds reaches different distances into skin, so a field that looks uniform in daylight resolves into layers on screen. The mirror shows you the top of that stack.

02

Depth decides the line, and depth is not visible to you

Pigment sitting high answers sooner and holds its gain less well; pigment sitting deeper moves slowly and needs the schedule stretched. The reading assigns proportions to each, and those proportions are why two similar-looking cheeks leave with different plans.

03

The red is separated from the brown before a rate is named

Where the reading finds vessels or a standing flush under a mark, that component is priced on its own line and often treated first. Skipping this step is how someone finishes a pigment course and still sees colour.

The reading is also what makes it possible to decline politely: a face whose complaint turns out to be entirely post-inflammatory brown is told it will fade with time and sun discipline, and is offered the shortest plan here.

What is offered

The published lines Dear Clinic runs for skin pigmentation

Four lines cover the pigment work in this building, each published and quoted on its own, so a plan using one is not billed as though it used three.

Published lineWhat it isThe pattern it is written forListed rate
Dual Laser Toning · 1 sessionA low-fluence 1064 nm Nd:YAG toning pass in a dual-wavelength session, with the in-clinic skincare step named on the same lineDiffuse, mixed-depth fields where restraint across repeat visits beats a single strong pass₩200,000 (≈ $145)
Triple Laser Toning · 1 sessionThe same session with a further laser step layered in, chosen at diagnosisFields the scan reads as more complex, or that showed limited movement on the dual configuration₩300,000 (≈ $215)
Excel VThe Cutera 532/1064 nm vascular and pigment platform, quoted for the laser aloneStanding redness, fine vessels and the red marks that were never brown₩150,000 (≈ $105)
Dear Custom One-Day LaserA single-visit plan assembled at the scan and stated in full before anything is switched onA defined set of marks, or one trip to Seoul, where a repeating schedule is wrong₩400,000 (≈ $285)

Figures current for September 2026 in KRW, with a USD equivalent shown for orientation only; a Seoul resident and a visitor are given the identical line. Toning is also published as a longer block, and that figure sits on the laser toning page. What a diagnosis visit and any later review cost is confirmed when you book. Everything published sits on the price list.

Dear 10 Selection, Dear Clinic October 2026 event (prices in Korean won, VAT excluded, identical for locals and international visitors): Ultherapy Prime 400 shots ₩1,320,000 · Ultherapy Prime 500 shots ₩1,650,000 · Ultherapy Prime 600 shots ₩1,980,000 · Thermage FLX 600 shots ₩1,900,000 · XERF 600 shots ₩1,600,000 · Dear Total Face Care: Ultherapy Prime 500 + Eye Thermage 450 + PN eye booster 1cc ₩3,700,000 · Thermage FLX 600 + PN booster HB 4cc + CaHA collagen booster 1 vial ₩3,400,000 · Ultherapy Prime 400 + PN healer 4cc (LDM and numbing included) ₩1,900,000 · Eye Thermage 450 + PDLLA eye booster 2cc ₩2,100,000
Dear 10 Selection · October lifting event — tap to book
 Dear 10 Selection, Dear Clinic October 2026 event (prices in Korean won, VAT excluded): Skin Revital Care: Potenza pumping + PDLLA skin booster 5cc ₩500,000 · PN booster HB 4cc ₩750,000 · PN healer 4cc + PN eye booster 2cc (LDM and numbing included) ₩850,000 · HA skin-quality booster 2cc ₩700,000 · RE2O 1 session ₩700,000 · Defined Volume Care: Eye Light 1cc + PN eye booster 1cc ₩1,050,000 · Chin filler 1cc + jawline filler 1cc ₩850,000 · PLLA collagen stimulator 2 vials ₩1,500,000 · Directors' Picks (Dr. Woojae Jung · Dr. Daeun Jung): Density Alpha 300 shots + PN booster HB 2cc (both cheeks) ₩1,100,000 · Potenza pumping + PDLLA skin booster 5cc, 3 sessions ₩1,150,000 · PN booster HB 4cc with PDLLA skin booster 2cc (both cheeks) ₩790,000 · Onda 80 kJ + Titanium 60 kJ ₩990,000
Dear 10 Selection · October skin revital & volume — tap to book
Matching

Which pigmentation finding is sent to which line

Discrete marks

Sun spots and freckles usually suit a single planned visit

Marks with edges can be worked as a defined list inside one appointment, which is what the custom one-day plan exists for at ₩400,000 (≈ $285). The list is agreed and counted before the room is prepared, and freckles carry the caveat that next summer acts on them again.

Diffuse fields

Broad uneven tone answers to repeated low-fluence toning

Where the colour has no edge to grip, a single visit of dual toning at ₩200,000 (≈ $145) is trialled and judged, and the triple configuration at ₩300,000 (≈ $215) is held for fields the scan reads as more layered.

Red components

Vessels and flush are quoted on the vascular platform

Anything the reading identifies as vascular goes to Excel V at ₩150,000 (≈ $105) for the laser, often first, so the brown can be judged without a red wash under it. Where both are present the two lines are sequenced and quoted side by side.

Post-inflammatory brown from acne usually starts upstream: while breakouts are still arriving each new lesion deposits a fresh mark, so the acne route or the Agnes line settles the inflammation first. Where the mark sits in a depression, the plan moves to acne scar treatment. The whole pigment corridor sits under laser skin treatments.

In the clinic

The devices and hands behind this treatment

A client leans into the EVE 3D skin analysis unit while the scan is reviewed on a tablet
The capture that decides which of the four lines you are quoted.
Excel V laser console and handpiece at Dear Clinic Cheongdam
The 532 and 1064 nm platform used when the reading finds red under the brown.
The exception

Why melasma is the pigmentation pattern treated with the most restraint

Melasma is not a mark that accumulated; it is a condition in which pigment-producing cells over-respond to triggers that stay in your life. Sunlight, visible light from a screen, heat, hormonal change and friction all provoke it, and each provocation restarts the deposition. Strip the output hard and the cells are handed one more reason to work.

It is therefore the one pattern here where a stronger setting is a worse setting. Histology work describes mottled hypopigmentation — pale dots where pigment cells have been pushed past what they tolerate — following low-fluence 1064 nm treatment for melasma, and a long-term follow-up study asks in its own title whether the route is effective over time. Both are listed at the foot of this page.

So a melasma field is offered restraint on purpose: conservative energy, intervals respected instead of compressed to fit a holiday, and a review that can stop the plan early. The target is a field that reads lighter and covers less ground, held there by maintenance and sun discipline. Everything specific to that condition sits on the melasma page.

The same restraint travels to deeper skin tones for a different reason: where melanin is abundant, absorbed light needs a lower setting and a slower pace, and an over-enthusiastic pass leaves a patch of altered tone that outlasts the mark it was aimed at.

Dear, Knowhow

How a pigmentation plan is decided before you pay for it

01 — THE FULL ARSENAL

The vascular platform competes with the pigment one

Toning, a 532/1064 nm vascular platform and a single-visit custom plan sit on this floor at published rates. A field with flush underneath goes to the vascular line even though the repeating toning schedule is the larger sale.

02 — DIAGNOSIS FIRST

Your pattern is named on screen before a figure is named out loud

EVE Muse 3D imaging under five light sources with AI analysis establishes how much of your colour sits high, how much sits deep, and how much is not pigment at all. The quote follows that reading.

03 — DIRECTOR-PERFORMED

Low energy stays low only while someone is watching

Sessions are director-performed. Fluence is dialled down between zones, an interval is stretched when the skin has not settled, and a booked visit is cancelled outright on irritated, peeling or freshly sun-exposed skin.

Caution

Living with the weeks around a pigmentation session

Before the appointment — no deliberate sun and no self-tanner, and clear any acid, retinoid or prescription cream with your director instead of guessing.
On the day — expect warmth and a flush across the treated field. Individually worked spots may darken and crust before they lift; let them release on their own timetable.
Every morning after — broad-spectrum sunscreen re-applied through the day, plus a hat and shade. Visible light provokes pigment as well as ultraviolet does.
Through the interval — keep heat down. Saunas, long hot showers and hot yoga are triggers in their own right, and a stripped barrier holds colour however the laser was set.
Call us if a blister appears, if redness is still angry beyond the window you were given, or if a treated area is darkening instead of settling.
Medical Team

Five doctors, one standard

Director-performed treatment is a Dear promise — your procedure is planned and performed by the doctors below.

Dr. Jemin Kim — Medical Director and Founder, Dear Clinic
Dr. Jemin Kim
Yonsei University College of Medicine
Medical Director · Founder
Dr. Sanghyun Lee — Director, Dear Clinic
Dr. Sanghyun Lee
Seoul National University College of Medicine
Director
Board-certified · Family Medicine
Dr. Seonhaeng Lee — Director of Aesthetic Medicine, Dear Clinic
Dr. Seonhaeng Lee
Chosun University College of Medicine · Residency, Samsung Medical Center
Director, Aesthetic Medicine
Dr. Daeun Jung — Director, Dear Clinic
Dr. Daeun Jung
Ajou University College of Medicine
Director
Board-certified · Family Medicine
Dr. Woojae Jung — Director of Aesthetic Medicine, Dear Clinic
Dr. Woojae Jung
Seoul National University — B.S. in Medicine
Director, Aesthetic Medicine
Patient Reviews

What our patients say

Real verified reviews from our Google Business Profile.

4.9★★★★★ 310 Google Reviews
★★★★★

The clinic was very professional from start to finish. Doctor Jung was excellent and gentle with the treatment. I felt well looked after and everyone was outstanding. Happy with my service!

Jen — Google review
Jen6 months ago
★★★★★

I've visited clinic for LDM procedure. I don't speak Korean, so there was an interpreter who assisted me while consulting. The staff was very attentive, they asked me every time before applying products/covering my face during the procedure and it went smoothly. Planning to visit the clini…

★★★★★

All the staff are kind, the doctor is professional. They recommended us the treatment that fit us best and last the longest. A very nice experience overall.

★★★★★

I did a hydrofacial, white/black head removal, and 1 day lasers. Really kind staff and reasonable prices. The only thing I would advise is that your first consultation is with a salesperson and you don’t see the doctor until after you decide what you want and after you pay.

★★★★★

Had a great experience here as a foreigner! The doctors and staff were knowledgeable, friendly, and not pushy. They made recommendations in my consultation and were happy to work within my budget.

Read all 310 reviews on Google →
FAQ

Further questions about treating skin pigmentation in Seoul

What is actually causing the brown marks on my face?
Usually more than one thing at once. Sharp-edged marks in sun-exposed zones are accumulated exposure; warm speckles over the nose are inherited and seasonal; flat brown shadows where a spot used to sit are old inflammation; a symmetrical field that worsens with heat behaves as a relapsing condition. The scan says which you carry, and in what proportions.
Is there a single laser that clears every kind of pigmentation?
No, and being sold one is how people end up with a course aimed at the wrong target. Pigment sits at different depths, some of the colour is vascular, and the settings that suit a discrete spot are the ones that provoke a diffuse field. Four published lines exist here so the reading can pick.
How much does skin pigmentation treatment cost in Cheongdam, Seoul?
It depends which line your pattern is sent to. A dual toning session with its skincare step is ₩200,000 (≈ $145), the triple configuration ₩300,000 (≈ $215), the vascular platform ₩150,000 (≈ $105) for the laser, and a single-visit custom plan ₩400,000 (≈ $285). Each is quoted separately.
Is skin pigmentation treatment safe at Korean clinics?
Safety is a function of the setting, and of the country only incidentally. The safeguards that matter are a diagnosis that names the pattern first, energy kept conservative on diffuse fields, intervals respected instead of compressed, and a director who will cancel a session on irritated or freshly sun-exposed skin.
Why is melasma treated more cautiously than a sun spot?
Because a sun spot has finished depositing and melasma has not. Melasma involves cells that keep over-responding to sunlight, heat, hormonal change and friction, so a hard pass is one more provocation. Published work on low-fluence 1064 nm treatment describes mottled hypopigmentation after over-enthusiastic use.
Will any of this make my complexion lighter overall?
That is not what these lines do. The work is aimed at specific marks and fields, evening out what stands apart from your own tone. Nothing here is a whitening treatment, and no plan on this price list is offered as one.
What if the scan finds red underneath the brown?
Then the red is quoted on its own line and usually taken first. Standing flush and fine vessels do not answer to a pigment-directed pass, so treating them separately lets the remaining brown be judged accurately. You are told which line is being worked at each visit.
How many sessions will my pigmentation need?
No number is published, because it depends on depth, pattern and how your skin responds. Discrete marks can be a defined list inside one visit. Diffuse fields are trialled, judged, and continued only while they answer. Your director gives a likely range at the scan and revises it.
Can a pigmentation session run on the day I arrive in Seoul?
Often, if the skin is in a state to take one. The rooms run 365 days a year, so a scan and a first session can sit in the same appointment where the reading supports it. The usual obstacle is recent sun, in which case the visit becomes a diagnosis and a plan.
I have just come back from a sunny holiday — can I be treated?
Generally not straight away. Tanned skin carries more melanin in the path of the beam, which raises the chance of a burn and of a patch of altered tone afterwards. Give the colour time to fade, keep sunscreen on, and let the reading confirm the skin is back to baseline.
Are there pigmentation patterns you would decline to treat?
Yes. Deeper slate or blue-grey pigment is a separate diagnosis and we do not recommend a toning schedule for it. A mark that is asymmetric, has changed shape or colour, or bleeds goes for medical assessment before anything cosmetic is quoted. Active inflammation, recent sun and a stripped barrier postpone the appointment.
Do visitors pay a different rate, and can the consultation be in English?
Each line above is published and applies to residents and visitors alike, settled in KRW with the USD figure shown as a reference that moves with the exchange rate. Consultations are held in English. Send the form with photographs in daylight and in shade, since some of this colour changes character between the two.
Consultation

Have your pigmentation named before it is treated

Your questions, answered in English as soon as possible.

Scientific Evidence

What the published record reports on low-fluence toning and 532 nm vascular work

Two claims here rest on the studies below: that diffuse pigment is managed with restraint, and that red components belong on a vascular platform. Three papers concern low-fluence 1064 nm Nd:YAG treatment for melasma — a histology study of mottled hypopigmentation after it, a long-term follow-up asking whether the route is effective, and a comparison against another light-based route. The rest test 532 nm work on facial vessels and spider nevi in split-face and controlled designs. Each reports outcomes across courses, which is why a range is discussed at your scan.

  1. Jang YH et al. Changes in Melanin and Melanocytes in Mottled Hypopigmentation after Low-Fluence 1,064-nm Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser Treatment for Melasma. Annals of Dermatology. 2015. doi:10.5021/ad.2015.27.3.340
  2. Gokalp H et al. Long‐term results in low‐fluence 1064‐nm Q‐Switched Nd:YAG laser for melasma: Is it effective?. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2016. doi:10.1111/jocd.12253
  3. Vachiramon V et al. Low‐fluence Q‐switched Nd: YAG 1064‐nm laser and intense pulsed light for the treatment of melasma. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2014. doi:10.1111/jdv.12854
  4. Uebelhoer NS et al. A Split-Face Comparison Study of Pulsed 532-nm KTP Laser and 595-nm Pulsed Dye Laser in the Treatment of Facial Telangiectasias and Diffuse Telangiectatic Facial Erythema. Dermatologic Surgery. 2007. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2007.33091.x
  5. Erceg A et al. A Comparative Study of Pulsed 532-nm Potassium Titanyl Phosphate Laser and Electrocoagulation in the Treatment of Spider Nevi. Dermatologic Surgery. 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2010.01517.x

References are provided for information — outcomes vary by individual and are assessed at your diagnosis.

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