Edwin Kwon, MD, FACS

Hello!

Lengthy and overdue review ahead: Dr. Kwon performed my breast augmentation in August 2024, and I’ve been meaning to write a review. Dr. Kwon originally performed my rhinoplasty in 2021, so I’ve had a long relationship with him + Lilit. I consulted with a few surgeons for my breast aug, and Dr. Kwon was always my top choice. First, I already trusted him: he is incredibly brilliant, patient, knowledgeable, kind, personable, and understanding… and his results speak for themselves. Lilit is simply amazing too. She’s a beautiful person inside and out—responsive, professional, caring, everything you could ask for.

Trust me, many doctors will abandon you post-op but they’re not like that—I’ve probably been to Dr. Kwon’s office more than my hair salon.

TRANSAXILLARY APPROACH
When planning my breast aug, I always wanted the transaxillary approach. Thanks to his technique and the scar tape he recommended, my armpit scars on the left side have been invisible since 6 months post-op. Since the goal is to enhance the look of the breast overall, I was pretty against having visible scars underneath my breasts… and I’ve seen scars from the nipple approach, and those look scary to me too. Dr. Kwon is one of the few plastic surgeons who performs this approach, and that's just one of the reasons he was my top choice. I'm so glad I went with my instincts and didn't compromise on this.

SIZING
I’m super grateful to Dr. Kwon for helping me choose the implant size—I sent a large pdf of ideal photos, and he is exceptionally talented at delivering exactly what I wanted. He recommended 240cc moderate profile plus on both sides, and that’s what we went with. Before I was totally flat, and now I’m a 32C/34C depending on the brand. The look is exactly what I wanted. My goal was to still fit into the same clothes, keep up an active lifestyle, hide them when I want to, and still feel like myself. Simultaneously, I wanted to go big enough to be worth the money + surgery and fill out my favorite tops: bikinis, halters, sports bras, etc. All my clothes look better now with boobs. Everyone says "go bigger" but I think there is such a thing as "too big"—my size is perfect, but I wouldn't go bigger. If I were giving advice, I'd personally rather risk going a little too small than too big, but my frame is also smaller and that's my personal preference.

RECOVERY
Surgery day went smoothly. His entire team is professional and offered the most comfortable process possible. I wasn’t very nervous because I’d been through the process before. Out of all the procedures I’ve had done, I’d say breast augmentation was the most uncomfortable. The first week was extremely difficult—you definitely need someone to take care of you the first 24 hours. The pain medication he prescribes helps a lot, but in my opinion, it will always be difficult going under the muscle since your chest muscles affect almost every movement. After about a week, I felt okay to walk around, and after 3 weeks, I stopped feeling the implant inside my chest. The recovery moved quickly after ~3-4 weeks. After 8 months, I barely feel them in my body anymore—only during specific chest-heavy movements, like push-ups.

RESULTS
My breasts looked great even 4 weeks out of surgery—photo attached. Now, it’s been almost 9 months, and I’m super happy with them. This is perhaps my second-best life decision (first was my rhinoplasty)! I've dreamed about a figure like this since I was in middle school, and I'm so proud of myself for saving up and finally doing this for myself. I feel like a powerful WOMAN—like the Bratz doll I've always envisioned inside my head. I’m in my late twenties, but before my breast augmentation, I felt mentally stuck as a middle school girl. And exercising won't help with that. They look SO feminine and natural and fit me perfectly—I told a few girlfriends I got them done, and they said they didn’t even notice. Once, someone even said in casual conversation in front of me how they "hate fake boobs" as they didn't realize mine were fake... so funny. Lastly, sometimes when I'm in a bad mood, I remember I have perfect c-cups, and I feel instantly better.

TLDR: My body feels like the best version of the real ME. If you want peace of mind for your best-ever results, go with Dr. Kwon. You won’t regret it.

I had chin augmentation with Dr Kwon in 2024, it's been almost a year. His work is so natural, no one could tell if I had my chin done, even a week after the surgery.

The healing process went smoothly, it was so painful on the 2nd day, it felt like my face was about the explode, but by the 3rd day the swelling subsided significantly.

I had the incision inside the mouth, I was on liquid diet the first 2 days, after that I resume to normal diet but I avoided tough and chewy food for a month. My chin was tender for 1-2 months, couldn't do some yoga poses that put pressure on my chin for 3 months. The chin was 100% healed after 6 months. I think my jawline definition and projection are so perfect now.

I'm SO SO HAPPY with Dr Kwon's work. He truly understands what beauty is and gave me the perfect chin which is proportionate and balance with the rest of my facial features. If I want any facial enhancements in the future, I would just go to him.

I saw that Dr. Kwon added my before and afters so I decided a full review would be helpful as well! I am one year post op from a DCF rhinoplasty and alar base reduction from Dr. Kwon and I am incredibly thrilled with the results. They were lifechanging, to say the least. I will try to give as much detail as possible for those with questions about the process/my results!

My main concerns were with the overall flatness of the nose bridge, and bulbous/round nasal tip. I originally didn't have an issue with the nostrils, but Dr. Kwon actually suggested the alarplasty at my pre-op appointment. Dr. Kwon doesn't do morphs but I trusted his aesthetic completely. His before and afters on the website are pretty representative of his overall aesthetic (tailored to the specific patient, and very natural looking).

Dr. Kwon and his team (Lilit) were both wonderful. Lilit is super responsive over email (as well as post-op, you can text her with any concerns). Dr. Kwon is super chill and I never felt like he was trying to "sell" me anything or exaggerate the results. I thought he was kind and very honest about what to expect. Both wonderful people to have throughout the process!

My recovery was actually very easy. Dr. Kwon was very skilled and I had minimal post-op pain. I also probably lucked out and didn't have significant impact on my breathing, even with the splints inside my nose. I heard a lot of people have to mouth breath for a while, but I was able to breath through my nose pretty well the whole time. I also had relatively minimal congestion. I only took pain medication the first night, and just followed the post-op instructions diligently with no major issues. I do remember having a bit of extra dripping/bleeding from one of my incisions but that cleared up within two days. Aside from that you will just feel like your face is completely numb and frozen! I remember the incisions on my scalp and ear also yielding minimal pain. The itching ended up being worse than the pain :). One thing to note is that if you do get a DCF rhinoplasty, there will be an incision in your scalp from where the fascia is taken, which will prevent you from opening your mouth/jaw wide (and hurt a bit), so stick to soups and other foods that don't require too much chewing. Aside from that, I basically felt fine enough to go out and take walks/hang out with friends after day three.

After one week, I went back for my first post-op where the stiches and nose splint were taken out. This is probably the most pain you will feel during the process, but nothing to be worried about. A bit of a sting when the stiches are taken out.

The second week went much smoother than the first (as expected). At this point the staples in my scalp started to itch a bit more, with a very minor (1/10) amount of pain. Again, nothing significant. I still had trouble opening my mouth/jaw but it slowly got better day by day.

At the second post-op appointment, the staples in my scalp got taken out. I was very swollen at this point (swelling peaked around the second week) so I looked pretty silly, but I trusted the process and wasn't worried. Dr. Kwon gave me a red light treatment to help the swelling.

The first couple of weeks I continued to wear my cast as much as possible, as well as tape. Note that if you wear eye glasses, you won't be able to wear them for 6 weeks post-op. The first three weeks post-op my face still felt particularly frozen, and my nose bridge felt tender to touch but around the fourth week was when things started to drastically improve. I think my swelling overall was not bad. Around 5-6 weeks I was already super happy with the results. The tenderness in my nose bridge went away, but the tip of my nose remained very sensitive to touch until about the 4-5 month period. Each person's swelling will be different but around the 4 week mark I felt "presentable." It continued to go down drastically and around the 6-7 week mark I felt 70-80% had already gone away. I was able to fully unhinge my jaw with no pain in my scalp area around the 2-3 month mark (although I was able to open my mouth enough to eat most food well enough by the 3 week mark).

I'm now one year post op and incredibly thrilled about the results. All of my aesthetic concerns were absolutely addressed and I'm happy I followed Dr. Kwon's advice about doing the alarplasty. I think the nostrils are actually one of the highlights of the procedure. I think Dr. Kwon has an excellent sense of aesthetics and I just feel my facial features are in better balance. I do not have any scars from the procedure and healed beautifully. I grew up being incredibly insecure about my nose, to the point that it affected me socially and really hindered my overall life quality. I'm happy to say I don't even notice my nose in the mirror anymore and I'm enjoying life to the fullest.

Your nose will change a bit permanently after the procedure. This was something I was very worried about so I'll address some other long term concerns/questions I had about the procedure below:

- will your nose be "stiff/hard?": Yes, it will be stiffer and harder than it was pre-op. I can't grab the tip of my nose and rotate it in a circle. The tip of my nose has also lost a bit of sensitivity. That said, I thought the stiffness would be something that bothered me but I don't notice at all. Better not to touch your nose anyways :)

- will the skin be changed/affected?: For me personally, yes the skin changed a bit. It gets a lot dryer/will peel, but as long as I apply moisturizer semi-consistently this is also not an issue at all.

- Any changes to breathing?: Absolutely none for me. I was super worried about internal valve issues/collapse which is sometimes a side effect of reductive rhinoplasties, but I've had zero impact to my breathing (it might even be better than before who knows)

- Can I pick my nose?: I had this concern regarding the alarplasty that sometimes you won't be able to pick your nose anymore. I personally don't have this issue (although I wasn't able to until about the 6 month mark, when my nose really softened overall)

I think that wraps up any permanent changes I had to my nose. Overall, it was super worth it and there are no permanent changes that are super noticeable to me/impact my quality of life.

My last piece of advice to those considering the procedure is to carefully measure the risks and benefits. At the end of the day, Dr. Kwon is a supremely talented surgeon, but he's still operating on a living human body which can be unpredictable. I would weigh whether an good improvement to your aesthetic concerns would outweigh potential minor flaws (e.g., slight asymmetries, small blemishes/bumps etc.). My procedure was not 100% perfect but I would say it was about 90-95% so, which was an absolutely fantastic result. Thus, I can give Dr. Kwon a perfect 5 stars, and my glowing recommendation!

The first thought that comes to mind when I think of Dr Kwon and Lilit is one word Genuine!

Genuinely genuine! This extraordinarily brilliant man has exceeded all my expectations and I couldn't be happier with my results and mind you I gave them a hard time but in the end everything fell into place because I made the decision to put my trust in the right hands for once and it paid off!

When you look into his eyes you will see a person that wants the best for others and that is tough to find these days! He's very honest and realistic when it comes to expectations! I absolutely love him so much! I am truly so grateful I found him!

Words can't describe how relieved I am and I hope you give him a chance to make your dreams come true because you won't be disappointed! I would give them 100 million stars if I could! The man DEFINITELY knows what he's doing!

Summary: Dr. Kwon delivered an outstanding DCF Rhinoplasty and custom chin + cheek implants surgical outcome. The procedures significantly improved the aesthetic harmony of my face and the rhinoplasty also enabled me to breath normally through my nose for the first time. I’m seeing initial positive indications that the aesthetic improvement could be life changing. Dr. Kwon and his beautiful assistant Lilit form the best plastic surgery team you could hope for and I strongly recommend them.

Full review: I first consulted with Dr. Kwon via phone in August of 2023 with the goal of improving facial attractiveness. Based on front and side-profile photos of my face and aspirational faces I had sent in advance, Dr. Kwon took great care in walking me through the strengths and weaknesses of my face and the temporary (primarily filler) and permanent (surgical) opportunities to improve. Based on this consult, I decided to move forward with an Ultherapy treatment to enhance jawline definition and 6ccs of Restylane Lyft filler targeting my chin, cheeks (malar prominence) and nose to temporarily test out what a change could look like.

A couple weeks later, I visited Dr. Kwon’s Newport Beach location to receive the Ultherapy and filler. It was my first time doing anything like this, and I was skeptical there would be any improvement. When I arrived at the Newport Beach office, I was struck by how fun and relaxed the mood was compared to my preconceived ideas of what a plastic surgery office would feel like. I first met Lilit, Dr. Kwon’s beautiful and highly competent assistant, who showed me into the procedure room and gave me some background context for what I should expect. Then Dr. Kwon came in and we chatted and confirmed the procedures. Dr. Kwon has struck me as a kind, humble, consistent, and brilliant man - exactly the kind of person you’d want performing surgery when it matters most.

First up was the Ultherapy treatment. Ultherapy is the second most painful thing I’ve gone through, but at this point I’d say it was worth it in terms of additional jaw definition delivered. For the uninitiated: “painful but worth it” is a common theme in plastic surgery. Receiving Ultherapy took about an hour, and it can best be described as receiving hundreds of electric “zaps” each of which I’d score about 7/10 for pain. The technician administering the Ultherapy handed me a breast implant to hang onto during the procedure though, which was super fun!

After recovering from the Ultherapy ordeal, Dr. Kwon came in and we started the filler. It took about an hour to inject all six syringes of Restylane Lyft, and I’d score the pain at 4/10. Dr. Kwon handed me a mirror so I could see how the changes looked after each injection, and it was pretty magical to see my face visibly improve over a matter of minutes. Contrary to my initial concerns, it was possible to safely improve my face using filler.

A couple months later I reached out to Lilit to schedule a consult with Dr. Kwon about making the changes permanent. Dr. Kwon and I talked at length and ultimately I signed up for a DCF Rhinoplasty and custom cheek + chin implants, all to be executed during the same surgery in March 2024. Following the filler I was immediately sure I wanted to make permanent the cheek + chin changes, but I was a bit on the fence about the rhinoplasty since it would be such a major operation. Ultimately, discovering that I also had a deviated septum and that it’s not normal to breath only through your mouth (who knew?) nudged me toward doing the rhinoplasty as well.

The process to create the custom implants was extensive, and included a multi-iterative design and review process with Dr. Kwon, me, and a tech all on a video call looking at 3D models of the implant designs (which can be updated in real time) super-imposed on a 3D rendering of my skull.

In March when I woke up from the 6-hour long surgery (DCF Rhinoplasty, custom cheek and chin implants), Dr. Kwon indicated that everything went great but that it would be a rough night for me. Boy was he right (on both counts). The first week recovering from the surgery was the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through, and the rhinoplasty in particular I would score at 8/10 for pain during much of the first week recovering at home. The high amount of pain might be due to the major septum repair that took place in addition to the aesthetic surgery. Another important note: in the days immediately following facial surgery you’ll likely be so swollen that it’s impossible to tell if it turned out well or not, so I wouldn’t even worry about trying to gauge any sense of the outcome until at least 2-4 weeks post-operation.

Now 8-months post surgery, I’m pleased with the aesthetic outcome of all three procedures. I can also breathe freely through my nose the large majority of the time. In addition, the first two women I asked out following the surgery both said yes. Beautiful facial aesthetics don’t guarantee successful relationships, but they can play a key role in getting your foot in the door. Despite the pain and cost (money and time), given the opportunity to turn back the clock I would do it all over again.

Dr. Kwon and Lilit were both absolutely wonderful to work with. During consultation, Dr. Kwon was very receptive to questions. His answers are very honest, straightforward and easy to follow. At no point did he ever come off as condescending or dismissive, and I never felt pressured to make any decisions. I always had a list of questions ready for the consultation and subsequent visits, so I would recommend doing that for a streamlined and informative session.

I opted for an inframammary breast augmentation (under the breast fold). My implants are Natrelle Inspira SoftTouch, SSF (smooth, full-profile) 385cc for both left and right. I have relatively broad shoulders and a wide rib cage so I was able to go for a fuller implant. It helps to come in with picture examples of how you envision your results looking, as cup size is not as helpful. Also be mindful of the profile when you choose your implant (basically how they sit/project when viewed from the side). If you really delve into it, it's good to choose a specific range of implant sizes (with the actual CC's) as Dr. Kwon will help determine what is best suited to your frame. It's also not unusual to have 2 different implant sizes if your breasts are not symmetric to start with.

My surgery was later in the morning (11AM) and you are required to come in fasted. Once you've gone under you just wake up and the surgery is done, and I had no issues here. Historically, I am pretty sensitive to anesthesia and one of the hardest parts of recovery was waiting for my GI tract to go back to normal. First day post-op, I could not stomach anything (including water) and it wasn't until the next day that I could start introducing food to my system. For a little over 1 month post-op, I was quite bloated/constipated and often needed laxatives. But that phase eventually passed.

Pain after surgery was about a 4 out of 10 for me on average. The uncomfortable feeling was sitting up from a reclined position and feeling the weight shift in the chest (both due to general swelling and the implants themselves), but this was nothing unbearable. I do recommend to keep your arms mobile as soon as you are cleared to so that you don't end up with stiff shoulders.

Your breasts when you first come out of surgery will look weird. That's perfectly normal and just how it is. It will shocking at first and you might hate how they look fresh out of surgery, but trust the process. It takes some time for the breasts to "drop and fluff" and look normal. By the 3-4 week mark I was starting to see the improvement as they healed. I'm about 8 months out now and my breasts are pretty much fully dropped and fluffed and I love them!

The scar under my breasts is not too dark, it's pretty flat to the touch, and it's not that noticeable because it's well hidden under the breast fold so I have no issues there. If you are prone to developing dark scars or if you don't have a prominent breast fold to begin with, the transaxillary ("invisible") breast augmentation is also an option - and this is one of Dr. Kwon's specialties anyway.

I'm very happy with my results and would absolutely trust Dr. Kwon with any future surgeries I might want done in the future!

Hello:)

I recently had my scarless breast augmentation performed by Dr. Edwin Kwon. From my initial consultation, Dr. Kwon and his staff were incredibly welcoming and professional. During the consultation, Dr. Kwon took the time to thoroughly explain the procedure and answer all my questions. He was honest about what to expect and made sure I felt comfortable moving forward.

On the day of surgery, Dr. Kwon and his team were very reassuring. The procedure went smoothly and Dr. Kwon's bedside manner was excellent, making sure I was comfortable and informative throughout the process. I am extremely pleased with the results of my breast augmentation. Dr. Kwon did an AMAZING JOB!! and my breast look natural and exactly as we discussed :)

The follow up care was thorough, and I felt supported throughout my recovery. Overall, my experience with Dr. Kwon was exceptional!! I highly recommend him to anyone considering plastic surgery. His expertise and caring approach made all the difference.

Thank you Dr. Kwon!

I cannot reccomend Dr. Kwon enough! Him and Lilit are an extraordinary team, I felt so at ease and comfortable throughout the entire nerve-wracking process and they truly made it so wonderful. Lilit is so sweet, kind, and a genuine soul. Every time I communicated with her she made things very clear, transparent, and up front, from the pricing , to pre-op instructions, to follow-up visits. She is amazing! I am obsessed with my results, it is the best thing I have ever invested in and cannot wait to get more procedures done with him in the future. He is amazing at what he does. I have been to many consultations with very popular doctors, and Dr. Kwon is by far the most friendly, honest, humble. His work speaks for itself, I did not see one photo of his work that I did not love and that is ultimately why I chose him as my surgeon. I got a DCF rhinoplasty and Upper Bleph surgery with Dr. Kwon. For my DCF rhinoplasty, I wanted more height on the, bridge, a smaller tip and to make my nostrils smaller/more oval. He gave his reccomendations for what would suit me and I showed him my inspo picture. The actual procedures were very easy to go through with, the pain was minimal/controllable with the pain meds he gave me. I had a lot of anxiety leading up but it was not bad at all. I would describe the healing process as uncomfortable, not painful. Within a week I was able to do everything like normal. I got my surgeries in April of 2023, so I am over a year post-op. There was a lot of swelling on my nose the first year and I was a little nervous at times, but during my check-ups Dr. Kwon made me feel at ease and gave me cortisone shots to help with the swelling. A year later, most of the swelling has gone down and I am able to see my final result or something close to it and I am obsessed. I look at my nose in the mirror any chance I get and just admire his work. It is so natural, most people cannot guess that I've had a nose job. People that know me tell me how great and natural it looks! I also have basically no scars on my nose! I trust Dr. Kwon so much, he gave me exactly what I wanted and cannot wait to come back for more procedures in the future! I cannot reccomend him enough.

Omg… I’m a new patient with Dr. Kwon. I came in for a nose filler/ consultation and the experience overall was magnificent. He listened and understood exactly what I asked for and he delivered. I would definitely recommend anyone seeking delivery and execution. This doctor is the best!!!!

I am very thankful to have found Dr. Edwin Kwon. I had my first rhinoplasty with him so it was such an exciting yet nervous process. He had the best assistant, Lilit. She helped me through all of my concerns and I didn't feel abandoned.

Just some notes for those getting rhino, always do your research. Ask questions and address any allergies or medications you're on. For me, I had skin allergy with latex so I made sure the staff noted that to my file. I did have some redness and itchiness with the paper tape they gave me to substitute but it was mild and was gone after a few weeks. So always write down your concerns so you don't forget.