Is K-Beauty’s Laser Stacking the Secret to Firmer, Clearer Skin?

No one’s skin is actually perfect, but K-beauty—which has become synonymous with ultra-clear “glass skin”—has given many hope that near-perfect complexions might just be a snail’s mucin trail away. And now, a new Korean trend is on the rise: It’s not a layering routine that you do at home, or anything that you do at home. Instead, it’s a professional treatment—performed at dermatologists’ and plastic surgeon’s offices—with the very futuristic sounding name of laser stacking.

If this is the first you’re hearing of laser stacking (congratulations for not spending time on TikTok!) it’s pretty much what it sounds like: “a strategy where multiple lasers are done in one session to address various skin concerns, such as pigmentation, texture, and laxity,” says Y. Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.

The idea is that different lasers use different wavelengths to achieve different effects on the skin, explains Jennifer Levine, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City who often travels to Korea. So by combining two or more lasers, you can address multiple issues (sun spots, crepiness, wrinkles) all at once. (Just keep in mind most lasers require multiple sessions, spaced weeks apart, so we’re not talking about one-and-done results here.)

Still, it sure sounds efficient. And most people do not have just one thing about their skin that bugs them or just one sign of aging, and laser stacking is meant to address that very fact—with a treatment protocol that’s deeply rooted in Korean culture, explains Dr. Chang, who visits Korea several times a year. In a lot of ways, laser stacking is the in-office equivalent of the 10-step skin care layering routines that K-Beauty has become so famous for. Just like fine-tuning your lineup of toners, serums, and moisturizers to achieve different skin goals with different ingredients, laser stacking helps address multiple concerns—and patients in Korea might book laser stacking appointments for preventative benefits, as well. “Clear, glowy skin is a goal among most Koreans, and Korean skin-care and treatments combine advanced technology with a focus on maintaining healthy, youthful skin,” says Dr. Chang.

Laser stacking is getting buzz in Korea and, increasingly, the US, but it is by no means a revolutionary approach in aesthetics—“I have been combining lasers and energy-based devices in a single patient visit for many years [as a way to] approach all the different layers of tissue, from deep layers to the more superficial,” says Dr. Levine. But the laser stacking trend, she says, is giving a name to it.

“Laser stacking makes a lot of sense to me—you can get more results and more kinds of results in a single session, with fewer trips into the [doctor’s] office, fewer days off of work, and fewer overall days spent blotchy or bruised or a little swollen,” says Laurel Naversen Geraghty, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Medford, Oregon. As for the price tag, “the overall cost of a combo treatment is going to be higher, because it involves more time and technologies,” she says, but you might get a little bit of a combo deal—“there is typically a lower overall cost than if you do those same two treatments on two separate dates.” (You can read more about pricing below.)

Treating rough and dull skin as well as fine lines and wrinkles are two arenas where laser stacking excels, says Anetta Reszko, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Rye and New York City and a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Reszko has been mixing and matching lasers for patients “for years,” she says, noting laser stacking is also called combination laser therapy or multimodal laser therapy (MLT). She likes combining fractional lasers (like Clear + Brilliant or Fraxel) with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to resurface the skin and target dark spots, for example, “leaving skin smoother, brighter, and more radiant,” she says.

For evening out skin tone and softening fine lines, “my favorite stackable treatment is IPL with Resurfx, a non-ablative fractional laser—it's easy to tolerate, the downtime is pretty simple to hide with tinted moisturizer, and it only adds an extra 15-20 minutes to the treatment,” says Dr. Geraghty. “Why not target and improve skin tone at the same time you are boosting collagen? Why go with a single treatment when you can layer them up for more results?”

In his own practice, Paul Jarrod Frank, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, estimates that he’s been offering some form of laser stacking for about 20 years. It can be especially useful for treating stubborn concerns—ones patients often spend years trying to tackle—like hyperpigmentation and acne.

Zapping away hyperpigmentation with lasers isn’t so straightforward—it can be lodged in different layers of the skin, for example—so Dr. Frank likes combining two or three lasers that each remove pigment “in the top layer of skin by destroying the tissues selectively and specifically” he explains. Derma V, Excel V, Spectra, and Fraxel are all go-tos, and combining two or more to remove dark spots is kind of like using a stain remover plus laundry detergent to get out a wine spill. While it gives him a better chance of removing more pigment, it can take a couple sessions (one to four) and the redness and swelling after each session may be more pronounced, but is usually limited to one week. It’s also important to remember that “not all pigment is removable,” he says, even with laser stacking. For example, “this approach can be effective for various pigmentation issues [like sunspots] but is risky for melasma, which is notoriously sensitive to heat and inflammation,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut. “Careful calibration [of each laser’s temperature settings] and patient selection are critical” so you don’t wind up making melasma worse, she says.

When it comes to acne, patients typically have both breakouts and redness or inflammation—so Dr. Frank uses AviClear to target sebaceous glands to reduce breakouts, something called a short-pulsed vascular laser (like Vbeam) fades redness. Dr. Frank’s patients usually receive at least three sessions of the duo. Dr. Gohara, meanwhile, has used a resurfacing laser to remove acne scars alongside a vascular laser to treat redness. “However, I carefully evaluate each case to minimize risks, and provide the patient with clear expectations about downtime and outcomes,” she says.

It’s not all that surprising that when you’re using multiple lasers in one session the risk for complications goes up—so as a general rule, doctors don’t crank up the heat settings on each laser they’re stacking (kind of like a stovetop, lasers’ heat is often customizable). “We tend to mix low energies amongst each treatment,” says Dr. Frank. “Although you're combining different types of lasers, accumulative energy sinks into the skin—you have to be cautious of risks [like] burns.”

In other words: Just because laser stacking is trendy, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. So it’s really—really—important that you only go to a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon for laser stacking. “The risks include heightened inflammation, a greater chance of adverse effects such as hyperpigmentation, scarring, or infection, or increased downtime, which varies depending on the lasers used,” says Dr. Gohara. “For instance, combining a resurfacing laser with a vascular laser might result in redness, swelling, and peeling that lasts several days to a week—longer than a single treatment. This is why a skilled provider is crucial to balance efficacy with safety.”

The order in which laser stacking is performed matters, too, says Dr. Levine—for example, “you would not want to do an ablative laser [like Fraxel] first, as doing another treatment on top of that would be painful and could lead to infection.”

Then there’s the elephant in the room—if a practitioner can charge more for using two or three lasers at a time than they could for using just one laser, well, what are we supposed to make of that? “Laser stacking can be both effective and, at times, an upsell—it depends on the patient’s skin concerns and the expertise of the practitioner,” says Dr. Gohara. “When used thoughtfully, laser stacking allows us to address multiple concerns in a coordinated way. In less experienced hands, it can be an upsell rather than a necessity.” Sometimes laser stacking sounds good in theory, but “some laser combinations may not have additive effects, making the second treatment redundant,” she adds. There is no handbook for laser stacking. “The evidence supporting laser stacking is somewhat mixed—there are studies on specific combinations, but much of the rationale remains anecdotal or based on clinical experience. Patients should ensure that any suggested combination is supported by scientific data or the treating physician’s expertise,” says Dr. Gohara. That’s a lot to take in, but the gist is this: You really—really, really—don’t want to go to a med spa for laser stacking. “It’s essential to consult a qualified professional who can create a treatment plan that aligns with your goals,” says Dr. Gohara.

That, above all else, is the most important thing you can take away about laser stacking. You absolutely have to visit a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who is not only incredibly knowledgeable on different lasers and their effects on your skin, but can also tailor the right combinations of lasers for your skin type (and who can properly assess your skin type) to completely avoid or minimize any injury. “There is a lot of training and education that is required to put [laser] technologies together in a safe and harmonious way, so please don't put your face at risk at a random medi-spa,” says Dr. Geraghty. You need someone who can “understand all of the variables—as long as you are not pouring too much energy into a single absorption point all at one time, and you are using appropriate and safe technology, wavelengths, and settings for a person's skin type and skin concerns, laser stacking is often quite safe.”

Dr. Levine stresses that laser stacking is not a one-size-fits-all approach and that your provider will further assist in finding the right combination for your skin concern and type. “It’s impossible to suggest a set laser stacking treatment without consulting with a patient—their ethnicity, Fitzpatrick scale, and specific anatomy comes into play when choosing a laser stacking protocol. It must be customized,” says Dr. Levine.

As for the cost, because laser stacking is a bespoke treatment, the price tag can vary greatly depending upon the lasers used, geographic location, and provider. And like we mentioned (though it bears repeating here), even if you receive three lasers in one sitting, you’ll probably still need to go back a couple of times to repeat the treatment. “Laser stacking results tend to be about delivering a wider range of improvements [than you could get with one laser,] rather than achieving faster outcomes” says Dr. Gohara. “While a single session of multiple lasers may enhance overall results, many patients still require a series of treatments for optimal and lasting results.” It’s also true, though, that you may need fewer sessions total—“it is popular in Korea because many people want to do as many treatments as they can in a short period of time,” says Dr. Levine. “The appeal of laser stacking is that patients see results of the treatments faster and that, in turn, increases patient satisfaction.” What it’s not meant to be, she adds, is a money saver. (One laser stacking session at Dr. Levine's practice can range from $2,500 to $12,000, depending on what lasers are used.)

To read more about lasers:

• 8 Dermatologists on the In-Office Procedures They Get Themselves
• The Forever Clear BBL Laser Treatment Cleared My Chronic Acne
• I Tried the $2,700 Laser All the Celebrities Are Using

Now watch Keke Palmer react to TikTok trends: