POSTED UNDER Double Eyelid Surgery REVIEWS
Double eyelid surgery resulting in Lagophthalmos and Uneven Eyes - Los Angeles, CA
ORIGINAL POST
Let me start out by saying that I never expected...
vieveiMay 9, 2016
$4,900
Let me start out by saying that I never expected perfect results. I consider myself quite laidback and understanding. I knew my heavy lids with ptosis would be hard to operate on, and I would've been content with fairly natural lids. Heck, I would be ecstatic if I could have the eyes that I had after my second revision, even though it ended with my double eyelid fading away. At least that would still be operable by someone else.
Had five - FIVE - revisions with a surgeon who assured me each time that he would make it right.
And I actually believed him. He sounded so calm and self-assured, with his fancy certifications and diplomas, and I was broke, naive, and desperate.
The second to last time, he chatted with his nurses while working and ended up flipping my eyelid outwards. Said nothing, walked away. Had my stitches out two weeks later and the eyelid was still flipped outwards, and he still said nothing. Finally agreed that something was wrong when I pointed it out to him (he was annoyed that I posted my concerns up on Realself, because I was starting to have real misgivings when I read that the doctor was supposed to correct an upturned lid in 2 weeks and he, the doctor, was saying nothing about something that clearly looked wrong to my mother,) and then operated on my eye again the week after, resulting in what you see in the picture.
Contacted numerous (numerous, I tell you) top doctors in Korea, and NONE of them said they'd be able to let me close my eye all the way again (the closest I got was 75%.) I'll probably be suffering from Lagophthalmos and dry eyes for the rest of my life, unless they figure out a way to fix it in the future. But for now, I'm screwed.
Went to the doctor, who again said he'd be able to fix my eyes without any problems. I no longer trust this doctor. Don't get your eyes done in the U.S. and don't fall for the talk. The pictures are also deceiving. Demand to see *numerous* pictures of patients that the doctor has DIRECTLY operated on, and of the same kind of operation. If the doctor screws up the first time, take it as a warning sign and look elsewhere.
Take out a private loan if you must and don't settle for a free revision from the same doctor.
Had five - FIVE - revisions with a surgeon who assured me each time that he would make it right.
And I actually believed him. He sounded so calm and self-assured, with his fancy certifications and diplomas, and I was broke, naive, and desperate.
The second to last time, he chatted with his nurses while working and ended up flipping my eyelid outwards. Said nothing, walked away. Had my stitches out two weeks later and the eyelid was still flipped outwards, and he still said nothing. Finally agreed that something was wrong when I pointed it out to him (he was annoyed that I posted my concerns up on Realself, because I was starting to have real misgivings when I read that the doctor was supposed to correct an upturned lid in 2 weeks and he, the doctor, was saying nothing about something that clearly looked wrong to my mother,) and then operated on my eye again the week after, resulting in what you see in the picture.
Contacted numerous (numerous, I tell you) top doctors in Korea, and NONE of them said they'd be able to let me close my eye all the way again (the closest I got was 75%.) I'll probably be suffering from Lagophthalmos and dry eyes for the rest of my life, unless they figure out a way to fix it in the future. But for now, I'm screwed.
Went to the doctor, who again said he'd be able to fix my eyes without any problems. I no longer trust this doctor. Don't get your eyes done in the U.S. and don't fall for the talk. The pictures are also deceiving. Demand to see *numerous* pictures of patients that the doctor has DIRECTLY operated on, and of the same kind of operation. If the doctor screws up the first time, take it as a warning sign and look elsewhere.
Take out a private loan if you must and don't settle for a free revision from the same doctor.
vievei's provider
Replies (13)
May 27, 2016
It's so sad to hear your story. I always think the doctor in US are the most trustworthy but this is absolutely not true. I have had 2 bad experience and spent so much money try to fixing it. I wish I have never done anything to my eyes.
Have you ever contacted Dr Kwon with Teuim Clinic? He seems to be very good in eye revision surgery. Good luck.
Have you ever contacted Dr Kwon with Teuim Clinic? He seems to be very good in eye revision surgery. Good luck.
July 2, 2016
Very true of the Dr's. In USA not all are honest, they are there for the money only they don't care if they disfigure you. Shame on them! How can they sleep knowing they ruined people's eyes and life sometimes forever.
May 30, 2016
Yeah, I thought board-certified meant trustworthy and capable. Boy, was I naive. Yup, Dr. Kwon from Tieum Clinic was one of the doctors I contacted and he told me he wouldn't be able to fix my problems. Only one doctor in Korea (Dr. Kang from IOU) said he'd try but he only promised to close my eyelid 50% of the way (not 75% like I wrote previously; that was an error). And I doubt Dr. Kim can profess to be better than those doctors, who are widely considered the best eyelid revision doctors in Korea. This makes me doubt his integrity further, as he offered to fix my eyelid completely as if it were no big deal. He did that the last revisions, and look where it has gotten me...
Surgeons ought to be honest about their limitations instead of butchering their patients' faces and bodies so they wouldn't get sued or lose face/business. The surgeons I turned to had the integrity (and the good sense) to tell me they couldn't help me. Dr. Kenneth Kim did not.
Surgeons ought to be honest about their limitations instead of butchering their patients' faces and bodies so they wouldn't get sued or lose face/business. The surgeons I turned to had the integrity (and the good sense) to tell me they couldn't help me. Dr. Kenneth Kim did not.
December 9, 2016
Why don't you try my revision doctor in Korea? A couple of former Kenneth Kim patients went there after they saw my results and contacted me and had really amazing results with Dr Shin. One of them also had 3 revisions by Kenneth Kim and thought was hopeless. (You can see her review on Yelp on Kenneth Kim's Yelp reviews) Dr. Duhan Shin in Shinsadong in Gangnam. He has hundreds of revision examples, and I would say is one of the top revision doctors in Korea. I am certainly happy with my revision result.
May 31, 2016
I'm so sorry to hear about this. I also had a bad double eyelid surgery done by Kenneth Kim almost three years ago. I decided to have my revision done in Korea 9 months later, and when I read your accounts I realize that I made the right decision. One tries to do due diligence before surgeries like this, but reading his Yelp review was confusing because the examples he posted looked good and his credentials looked good and there are more positive reviews than negative reviews. After going through a lot of trouble because of his bad skills, when I looked at the photos on Yelp again, I realized that most of those good examples were from Dream Medical from Korea that he is associated with, not his own. Also there are enough negative reviews but they are embeded between the good reviews (which are patients who are given incentives since I was also offered $500 off of my surgery cost if I posted a positive review.) . Also you can look up all the "unpublished" Yelp reviews and the true picture comes out. Yelp does not post all reviews, especially when the business pays for a paid advertisement. So I also went to Kenneth Kim with the distorted information I gleened from Yelp. I wonder if it's too late for you for another revision by a qualified doctor. My revision doctor in Korea spent 3 and half hours to work on my revision. While it's not perfect especially the flipped up eyelid could not be 100% corrected, only I can tell, and everyone tells me it's now 200% better. Good luck with yours.
December 9, 2016
December 21, 2016
I got mine done with Kenneth Kim too and it was very bad. My eyelids now are even more uneven... do you know which clinic in Korea can fix this?
December 21, 2016
Thanks for sharing! I also was mislead by his yelp review too!!! I wish I had knew earlier....
December 9, 2016
Thank you for sharing your experience on RealSelf!