Dr. Yongwoo Lee
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
VIP Plastic Surgery, South Korea
Dr. Yongwoo Lee is a board-certified plastic surgeon at VIP Plastic Surgery in South Korea, where his practice centers on facelift and eyelid surgery. He studied Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science at the University of Michigan, then went on to Pusan National University College of Medicine for his medical degree.
He trained at Pusan National University Hospital as an intern and plastic surgery resident, earned his board certification, and stayed on as a fellow and then as a clinical professor. Most of his work today is aesthetic, but he considers the reconstructive years the reason it is safe: when something unexpected happens, he has the experience to deal with it. His practice now centers on facelift and upper and lower blepharoplasty, with thread lifting and skin treatments such as Botox, fillers, skin boosters and laser alongside.
He is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and of the Korean societies for plastic and aesthetic plastic surgery. Plastic Love is where he answers the questions he hears in clinic every day, from the published evidence and from the operating room, so that readers can decide on what the research shows rather than on marketing copy.
Education
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
B.S., Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science
Pusan National University College of Medicine
Master of Medicine (M.M.)
Career
Plastic Surgeon
CurrentVIP Plastic Surgery
Deep Plane Facelift Dissection Anatomy Course
Mendelson Advanced Facial Anatomy Course (MAFAC)
Deep Plane Facelift Dissection Anatomy, 2025
Clinical Professor
Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH)
Fellow
PNUH Plastic Surgery
Board Certification
Korean Board of Plastic Surgery
Resident
PNUH Plastic Surgery
Intern
Pusan National University Hospital
Areas of Practice
Facelift
Deep plane and SMAS facelift, mini facelift, mid-face lift and neck lift. The operation finds the layer that has descended and returns it, for a result that lasts and does not look pulled.
Forehead and Brow Lift
Lifts a descended forehead and brow to unload a heavy upper lid and soften forehead lines. How long it holds depends on the fixation, so the method is explained before anything else.
Eye Surgery
Upper and lower blepharoplasty, double eyelid surgery, ptosis correction, epicanthoplasty, sub-brow lift and revision. The method follows the anatomy of the lid and the shape the patient is after, and a lid that blocks vision is treated with it.
Facial Contouring Surgery
Genioplasty, lip lift and buccal fat removal. Operations that change the proportion of bone and soft tissue to settle the whole face.
Fat Grafting
The patient's own fat moved into a hollow cheek, temple, under-eye or forehead. The aim is volume that stays, without overfilling.
Liposuction and Body Contouring
Local fat of the face, chin, arms, abdomen and thighs reduced, and the line tidied.
Thread Lifting
Minimally invasive lifting with PDO and PLLA threads, for sagging that is real but not yet ready for surgery.
Botox and Fillers
Wrinkles, contour and lost volume treated without an incision. Patients go back to their day the same afternoon.
Skin Boosters and Laser
Skin boosters for texture and hydration, and laser for pigment, scars and overall skin quality.
Societies
Publications
Peer-reviewed papers on which Dr. Lee is first or corresponding author. Full list on ORCID
- Time-trend analysis of 78 orbicularis oculi myocutaneous flaps in periorbital reconstruction: a single-center retrospective study in South KoreaArchives of Craniofacial Surgery · 2025 · Corresponding author
- Recurrent late seroma after immediate breast reconstruction with latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flapArchives of Plastic Surgery · 2020 · First author
- Outcomes of a superiorly-based pharyngeal flap for the correction of velopharyngeal dysfunctionArchives of Plastic Surgery · 2020 · First author
- Merkel cell carcinoma: a series of seven casesArchives of Plastic Surgery · 2019 · First author
Have a question?
Ask whether an operation fits your face, or whether now is the time for it. Dr. Lee's team reads every message and replies.