Primary Rhinoplasty (Rib Cartilage) & "Midface Aug" @VIP(Dr Myung Ju Lee) - Worst & Most Expensive Mistake of My Life!

Credit is given when credit is due and no doubt my breathing has improved after undergoing rhinoplasty with Dr Lee (where he also performed septoplasty for me), but other than that, undergoing rib cartilage primary rhinoplasty and “midface augmentation” with Dr Lee back in November 2018 is the worst and most expensive mistake of my life! From the very beginning I knew what I wanted was a subtle improvement, as you can see from my “Desired B&A” pre-surgery photo (from the way I stretch my nose downwards like that) of just having a more defined nose tip and perhaps a slightly high nose radix (but no nose height increase at all), so that my nose tip would be more defined and my nostrils would be less obvious, as my biggest concerns about my nose were always my obvious and flaring nostrils and my less-defined nose tip. And it’s not that I’m ugly if I didn’t have a more defined nose tip or less obvious nostrils, because I knew I always looked good whenever I smiled. It’s just that I wanted a nose that also looks good when I don’t smile, that’s why I wanted a nose with a slightly more defined nose tip and less obvious nostrils. It’s also why I used the B&A photos of a former patient of Dr Lee (the girl) as reference when informing Dr Lee what I wanted. From the look at that B&A reference photos, it’s clear that her nose tip result is subtle yet noticeably better and there isn’t much increase in nose height at all. Granted, Dr Lee did tell me I wouldn’t be getting the exact result and I was aware of that, but Dr Lee should have known I wanted a subtle result - a more defined nose tip and a less obvious/flaring nostrils - because I used that girl’s photos as the final reference which were to be printed and be referred to in the surgery room by the doctor.

But just look at the nose that I have now: a ridiculous and unnaturally high and straight, sausage-looking nose, especially for an Asian man like me. After letting Dr Myung Ju Lee operate on my face, I now look like a monster, with a huge sausage-like nose and a restricted crooked smile. What kind of doctor takes USD12,000 from his patient, makes the patient look worse with a sausage-like nose and disfigured with a restricted crooked smile, and the whole time after surgery made the patient feel as though he should just accept the result and not bother the doctor anymore?

This is a doctor who markets himself as providing “harmony rhinoplasty” and as a “Harmony Face Surgery Expert”, and I was told during my consultation sessions at VIP that “Dr Lee is an expert in taking into your entire facial features and giving you a nose that suits your entire facial features”. I was also told multiple times during consultation by VIP consultant Chloe and Dr Lee that if I wanted “the best result”, I should use my rib cartilage as the material for my primary rhinoplasty and not my septal or ear cartilage. They said that girl (reference photo) used rib cartilage too (but only they will know whether that’s true or not). It’s only after I had undergone surgery with Dr Lee that I was subsequently informed by other plastic surgeons that using rib cartilage as the material for my primary rhinoplasty is excessive and unnecessary.

And the thing is I didn’t have a flat nose to begin with and my nose was already naturally high enough for an Asian face, so I knew I didn’t want a higher nose!

Instead, despite paying USD12,000 (USD9,600 for Rib Cartilage Primary Rhino & USD2,400 for the “midface augmentation”), all I got was a ridiculously high and unnaturally protruded, bird-beak/sausage-like ugly nose!

This is a doctor who markets himself as a “Harmony Face Surgery Expert” and providing “Harmony Rhinoplasty”, and this is what “harmony rhinoplasty” is?? And “recognized in his homeland and internationally as one of the best plastic surgeons in existence today”??? This is the work of “one of the best plastic surgeons in existence”?!?! Now I have a nose that is even higher, bigger and more protruded than some Caucasian people’s nose! It even looks like I now have a hook nose looking from either 45 degrees side of my face!

Again, this nose result is from a doctor who markets himself as being able to provide ‘Harmony Rhinoplasty’ – how is my now ridiculously high and protruded bird-beak/sausage-like nose “harmonious” with my entire face and my facial features?! If this is the work of “one of the best plastic surgeons in existence today”, I would never have done any plastic surgery in the first place!!!

My nostrils are still obvious and my nose is only made higher! Just look at my B&A photos – it looks like my nose was only made higher and that’s it! My nose tip isn’t more defined nor are my nostrils less obvious - it’s just my overall nose is much higher, thus making my big high nose more noticeable than my flaring obvious. No improvement in my nose tip shape at all! I don’t know how Dr Lee has improved the shape of my nose except just making it higher! Is this misrepresentation/fraud or what?

If what I wanted was not achievable, Dr Lee should have told me so and not accept my money. Instead, he just took my USD12,000, gave me a high, pointy, bird beak-like/sausage-like stiff nose that looks totally unnatural on my face. From the very beginning, Dr Lee and Chloe kept telling me that if I wanted “the best result”, I should use rib cartilage for my primary rhinoplasty, but I’ve seen people with much better and more natural-looking results using their septal or ear cartilage for much less cost!

Which has to make you wonder: why would a doctor recommend a material (rib cartilage) as a primary material for a person undergoing primary rhinoplasty that is usually recommended to patients who have exhausted their septal and ear cartilages after undergoing multiple previous surgeries? Is it because it’s the most expensive option? Is it not recommended in the best interest of the patient who is putting his/her life’s savings, face and future in the hands of a doctor, but to extract as much $$$ from the patient as possible? I can’t help but to wonder. And the only thing that the VIP consultant Chloe told me was that my nose would be stiff initially and that it would get softer after a while, but it’s been more than 1.5 years and almost 2 years and it’s still stiff and hard as a stick, and it feels really uncomfortable because of how stiff my nose is now and how I can’t blow or pinch my nose like normal anymore. Dr Lee and Chloe never once warned me about those side effects of using rib cartilage. So again, I can’t help but to wonder whether the rib cartilage was recommended to me with my best interest as patient at heart or was it to make as much $$$ from the patient as possible? Since rib cartilage is the most expensive option after all.

Another problem is that Dr Lee and VIP consultant Chloe recommended a procedure obscurely called “midface augmentation” (as you can see from the illustration by VIP) that is not only what I NEVER needed, but it also made me look WORSE and I’m now somewhat DISFIGURED because that procedure has caused my smile to be restricted and somewhat crooked now, even my cheek muscles tremor a little whenever I smile, because of restriction that’s caused by the rib grafts placed in my midface! I also feel that my speech has been somewhat adversely affected by the midface augmentation because of the restriction and tightness I now feel around my middle face/upper lip and from having my skin around my nose and midface area overly stretched as a result of the high protruded nose Dr Lee gave me which I never wanted! Because of Dr Myung Ju Lee, I rarely smile nowadays, not only because I now have a restricted and crooked smile, but I also look hideous when I smile because of my restricted and crooked smile and my ridiculously high sausage-like nose! Essentially Dr Lee has taken away my smile and my confidence! What kind of doctor does that to his patient?!

Not once during the many consultation sessions I had with Dr Lee and his consultant who recommended this procedure to me mention that my smile could be adversely affected by the procedure. Many times throughout the consultation sessions, I was only told that I would “look better” with a midface augmentation. I had never thought I needed a “midface augmentation” and I had never even heard of such procedure before. I’ve heard of premaxilla augmentation and it’s definitely not a procedure I wanted or needed, but with “midface augmentation”, I wasn’t sure what it really was and because Dr Lee and his consultant kept saying I would look better with it, I made the silly mistake of just listening to and trusting them. I was later told by other doctors that procedure is a premaxilla augmentation, so was I misled by Dr Lee and VIP? Don’t doctors have a legal and ethical obligation to make sure the patient knows exactly what procedure will be done to them and what the patient is getting into? The patients are not medical experts, we don’t know all the names of procedures and what results they’ll cause, so aren’t doctors legally and ethically obligated to make sure the patient is fully informed about the procedures they’re recommending and what results the patient can expect from the recommended procedures? If we’re not fully informed, how can our informed consent be given?

I asked VIP to show me roughly what I would look like with the midface augmentation, but they could only show me limited B&A photos of former patients who had undergone that procedure and they couldn’t do a computer imagining to show me roughly how I personally would look like after the procedure. Basically, I was naïve to believe that if a doctor or the consultant recommends a procedure, it must be for my own good. Besides that, because of the unnecessary midface augmentation procedure, my side profile now looks more imbalanced than before as my midface is pushed forward so much and is now so protruded that my recessed chin is now much more pronounced and obvious than before. Why recommend a procedure that not only impaired my ability to smile, but also somewhat disfigured me by making my face, especially my side profile, imbalanced as a result of that procedure? The funny thing is the procedure of genioplasty was recommended to me too and I can’t help but to feel that the midface augmentation procedure recommendation just serves as a stepping stone for me to undergo more surgeries with VIP. Because of the midface augmentation and my now protruded midface, a now imbalanced side profile and a more obvious recessed chin, I’m made to feel that I have no choice but to undergo a genioplasty to balance out my face. And also because of my higher nose and higher than acceptable radix (both which I never wanted), now whenever I smile, my already small eyes look even smaller and it makes me feel like I now need to do eye surgery to make my eyes bigger. Is that why some patients keep getting more and more surgeries? Is it because of their insecurity or is it really because of all the unnecessary procedures that their doctors keep recommending to them that make them look like they need more surgeries? Definitely a food for thought for anyone considering any plastic surgeon.

The most unfortunate thing out of all this is that all of these problems I have now could have been avoided had I listened to my gut at that time. There were many red flags raised by Dr Lee before surgery: like when he got annoyed when I asked too many questions; when I was told to “just trust Dr Lee because he has 20+ years of experience”; when Dr Lee couldn’t show me during consultation roughly how my nose would look like after surgery and what kind of result I would be getting from him because I was told that “plastic surgery is more art than science”. Dr Lee didn’t have the patience to listen to all of my concerns as a patient and he couldn’t or didn’t want to explain to me what exactly he would do to my nose and exactly or roughly what result I would be getting for paying USD12,000. It’s only after my surgery that I learned from a US plastic surgeon (Dr Denenberg – he’s a really kind and caring doctor) that a doctor’s attentiveness and patience are paramount qualities to seek from a doctor.

Besides that, the biggest red flag that I should have paid attention to and responded to was on the surgery day itself, when I went into the surgery room thinking that I would get a final short run-through of my concerns and the result I wanted with Dr Lee to ensure that both of us are on the same page (as I’ve seen such run-through in one of his many promo videos), but it did not happen, and when they were about to start the surgery, I immediately told Dr Lee that I specifically did not want a high nose/radix and all Dr Lee said was “that’s not possible”. So I panicked and felt that Dr Lee might not understand what I really wanted, but instead of stopping the entire surgery (because I’m sure Dr Lee could clearly see I panicked and was nervous and unsure about the surgery), Dr Lee said nothing and all VIP consultant Chloe said to me was “just trust Dr Lee” and that’s it. Dr Lee did not say or do anything to ensure that I went into the surgery with my eyes wide open. The worst part is at that moment he asked me whether I would let his clinic use my photos for marketing purposes after the surgery, like that’s the most important question to ask just before the surgery. Doesn’t that by itself say a lot about their priorities? Is marketing more important than ensuring the patient knows exactly what he/she is getting? And imagine being in that situation, what else would you or could you have said to a person who was about to operate on you a few minutes later?

Another thing that Dr Lee and VIP won’t tell you is that you’ll have a huge and obvious scar on your body that probably won’t disappear, probably forever, even after almost 2 years for me. VIP Consultant Chloe told me it will just fade away. If they can’t even be honest about minor things like that, would you trust them to be honest with you about the major important things like your surgery result?

The WORST thing is Dr Lee and VIP gaslighted me for over a year. I knew I did not like the result the moment I saw my new nose for the first time after my nose cast was removed. But instead of fixing it immediately or offering to fix it, like when Dr Lee offered to fix a female patient’s nose just a few days after her surgery - because he felt her nose was too sharp (the patient declined the offer), Dr Lee and VIP staff kept telling me that Dr Lee did a good job and that I should wait and told me that my nose height would go lower as the swelling subsides. I told them my nose only became higher but my nostrils were still obvious, but VIP consultants kept telling me that my nose was still swollen and that my nose will go lower eventually. JoAnn, a senior consultant of VIP, even had the audacity to scold me for not liking the result and told me that my surgery was “perfect” and that I should just wait. What kind of clinic consultant scolds their own patient?!

So I waited like a fool, and when I told them again that I did not like the result and I wanted a revision, instead of offering to do a revision to fix a result that the patient himself paid so much for but is extremely unhappy with like a responsible doctor, Dr Lee never made such offer in the beginning, so I was left to think and feel throughout a year that there’s something wrong with me for not liking the result. I knew in my gut and instinct that I’d gotten a result I never wanted, but the constant gaslighting and messages from VIP telling me that my nose would still change shape and that I was wrong to not like the result made me start doubting my own self and I had to see a therapist for emotional and mental support. Basically I went through a year of emotional and mental hell because of Dr Lee and VIP after my surgery because they essentially made me feel like I should just accept the result and not bother them anymore, after taking USD12k from me and giving me a result that I never wanted or liked. I can’t help but to feel that VIP and Dr Lee just want to make me wait long enough that I will just get used to my new nose after seeing it for over a year and forget what I had looked like before so that I would just accept my new nose and not bother them anymore. The way I was treated by VIP and Dr Lee reminds me of those unscrupulous enterprises that just take your money and disappear or hope you don’t bother them anymore after selling fake goods to you. I’ve also been told and shown photos by other former patients of Dr Lee that he gave all of us the same kind of nose – big, high, straight nose with no specific definition of the nose tip that suits/is “harmonious” with our specific facial features – as though he only knows one style and technique and that’s it (feel free to PM me for evidence).

Now because of Dr Lee, I have to undergo a revision surgery for my nose and to undo/remove the premaxilla procedure. I cannot imagine letting Dr Lee touch my face again, not after the hell that I’ve been through. My body shivers just thinking about letting a doctor who made me feel like my own opinions and concerns are not as important as his opinions and years of experience open me up again. If he didn’t listen to me the first time, will he listen to my concerns and needs the second time? I don’t think so.

I should have listened to my gut feeling and to myself when I started feeling uncomfortable, intimidated and slighted by Dr Lee when I could sense his annoyance with my many questions, as if a patient is not allowed to ask a lot of questions about his/her life-changing surgery. I should have just called the entire surgery off when I told him I didn’t want a high nose, while sitting on the surgical bed on surgery day, and all he said was “that’s not possible” and he did not stop to make sure that I was 100% sure about what I was getting myself into and that we were both 100% on the same page.

I should have gone to another doctor who would be more attentive, understanding and caring towards my concerns and my needs because plastic surgery really is a life-changing experience and had I listened to my gut and my instinct, I would have taken my USD12,000 and run away from VIP as quickly as I should have. The advice that I can give to other patients who are considering undergoing any plastic surgery procedures is to find a doctor who is not only experienced and skilled (a lot of doctors out there are experienced and skilled) but most importantly, find a doctor who you can feel it in your gut truly cares for you, who would spend the time to listen to all your needs and concerns (again, because it’s a life-changing procedure), and one who wants what’s best for you, instead of just telling you that “he has more than 20 years of experience”, “he is very skilled and knows what he’s doing” and “you should just trust the doctor because he knows best” without listening carefully to your needs and concerns, because remember that the doctor won’t have to live with the bad result, you will, so choose carefully and run as fast as you can when you face a doctor that doesn’t have the patience or time to talk to you for more than 20 minutes.

If a doctor doesn’t listen to you or doesn’t have the patience to listen to all of your needs and concerns, how can he give you exactly what you want or deliver the kind of result you’re looking for? If a doctor thinks that only he knows best and that he’s the expert and the patient is not, even though the patient will be the one living with the result, how can you trust and put your face in the hands of such doctor? These are the mistakes I made with Dr Lee and VIP – I should have listened to my gut and instinct and run away from Dr Lee and VIP as fast and far as I could when I had the chance. Now I hope others won’t make the same mistake as I did.

The advice I can give to potential patients, based on my awful experience with Dr Lee and VIP is (1) don’t trust 100% nice B&A photos you see on websites, (2) be very wary of clinics that you can sense spend a lot of money and effort on marketing – the genuinely good ones don’t need a lot of marketing at all, they rely on good word of mouth because they deliver great results to their patients and (3) be very wary of clinic consultants/doctor recommending any other procedures that you never thought you needed – it could be a ploy to extract more money from you. And the most important criteria you want from a surgeon: (1) he LISTENS to you and to ALL of your concerns and 2. SHOWS you, roughly at least, what result you can expect from the surgery.

For as much as USD12,000, if I had looked somewhat better, I wouldn’t mind, but looking worse, especially in photos, and now having a restricted smile that makes me smile less in person and in photos, and overall making me look and feel worse and less confident about myself than before, that’s just f-up wrong. The entire terrible experience with VIP makes me feel like I shouldn’t have undergone any surgery at all and just appreciate the face that God had gifted me because I looked better before surgery. Throughout my awful experience with Dr Lee, I did not feel he had my best interest at heart. He just took USD12,000 of my hard-earned money, made me look worse and worst of all tried to make me accept the bad result.

Again, I’d like to know what kind of doctor recommends the most drastic and unnecessary procedures to the patient, takes USD12,000 from his patient and makes the patient look WORSE and somewhat disfigured, and then put the patient through an emotional and mental HELL for a year by making the patient feel as though he should just accept the result and not bother the doctor anymore? From my own experience, this is not a doctor that cares for the patient’s well-being and happiness.

Choosing Dr Lee and undergoing surgery at VIP is the biggest and most expensive mistake of my life! For anyone who’s considering letting Dr Myung Ju Lee touch your face, be careful and you have been warned! (Note: VIP may have relocated to Jeju Island from Gangnam Seoul and some of their consultants may no longer work there, but still beware of Dr Myung Ju Lee and VIP)