Total ${\gamma }^{\star }{\gamma }^{\star }$ cross section and the BFKL pomeron

In the framework of the dipole picture of the BFKL pomeron we discuss a few possibilities of calculating the total ${\gamma }^{\star }{\gamma }^{\star }$ cross section of the virtual photons. We argue that the existing successful fits of the dipole picture formulae to the measured structure functions $F_2(Q^2,x)$ favor one of the possible extensions of the dipole picture of the BFKL pomeron formulated recently by one of us.