Richard H. Lee MD Plastic Surgery

Dear Revdex.com,I want to clarify the following issues after reviewing Drlee's email: The eye bag at the left eye is not a tiny areaIt grows larger day by dayIt grew from a smaller area to about half inch nowI already borrowed $17,from credit cards, and I lost my job in April, I cannot afford another $1,fee to fix the failed procedure of left eye bagI emailed times regarding this problemDrLee saw me a few month agoHe said that he was very careful, and he did not know why the left eye bag procedure failedWhen I pointed out "Drlee said there was nothing he can do": I meant the deep wrinklesThere are many deep wrinkles around two eyes and the mouthMy emails mentioned this problemAnd I also told DrLee in personHe told me that I just have to fix those wrinkles by injecting filler and Botox continuouslyI already went to [redacted] in Irvine in May, to get filler and Botox around eyes and lipsWhich means after I spent over seventeen thousands, I still need to spend thousands every year to get filler and BotoxSince filler and Botox can last only around monthsI need to get times per yearThis does not make senseAfter upper eye lids removal procedure, my right upper eye lid later on developed a deep irregular line at the cornerAs time passed by, the line was more and more obviousIt looked weird.Like I mentioned before, I am not asking for a full refundTherefore, I would like to get refund for the following failed procedures:The failed left eye bag procedure (eye bags removal fee divided by 2)The weird line after right eye lid removal procedure (eye lids removal fee divided by 2)The deep wrinkles around the mouth and eyes after dermabrasions and face lift procedures [redacted] ***

To whom it may concern,
It is truly disheartening to hear about any of my patients not being 110% satisfied with the care I have provided for them.  This is because I spend an extraordinary amount of time laboring over each and every patient with regard to their well-being...

and satisfaction with our office.   Truly, if the patient is not happy at any point of their care,  I am not satisfied and I won't rest until all problems are fully addressed to the satisfaction of the patient.  
With that said, I have tried to address the concerns of this patient on multiple occasions.  I met with her on 4/21/2015, 5/28/2015, 9/15/2015 in order to try to resolve this matter.  The following is a response to each of this patient's concerns
1. Residual fat in one of her lower eyelid:
In all aspects, the eyelid surgery on this patient was a success.  She does have a small (<1cm) puffiness in the corner of one of her lower eyelid.  I have offered to do surgery free of charge in order to correct this.  As is customary in these rare situations, the patient is responsible just for the cost of the anesthesiologist and operating room fees at the surgery center which we would need to do the surgery.  This was made clear on her consent form which she signed prior to her original procedure.  Specifically, the consent form states the following under the RISKS section.
It states, "There are many variable conditions that may influence the long-term result of surgery.  It is unknown how your tissue may respond or how wound healing will occur after surgery.  Secondary surgery may be necessary to perform additional tightening or repositioning of body structures... Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee or warranty expressed or implied, on the results that may be obtained.  In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure."
Also, on the consent form, it states that "In signing the consent for this surgery/procedure, you acknowledge that you have been informed about its risks and consequences and accept responsibility for the clinical decisions that were made along with the financial costs of all future treatments".
The signed consent form can be provided for review at the request of the patient.
I also personally discussed the risks of the possibility of need for more surgery when I met with this patient on 12/19/2014 prior to her original procedure on 12/23/2014.
2. Lines around the mouth after dermabrasion:
Dermabrasion is a technique that is used to address fine lines around the mouth.  It mechanically scrapes the very top layer of skin so that the underlying skin can tighten and in turn, improve the appearance of wrinkles.  One of the risks of dermabrasion is hyper- and hypo-pigmentation.  This means that the skin can appear discolored as a result of the procedure.  Typically, the darker the skin tone, more likely you will have this complication of skin discoloration.  Given this patient's darker skin tone, I was conservative in the treatment of her wrinkles around the mouth in order to avoid skin discoloration.  Typically, the less deep you go in scraping the skin surface, less likely you are to have the skin discoloration.  The flip side of this is that the wrinkles may not improve as dramatically.  This requires further treatment using the same technique.  (It is essentially a way to incrementally improve the area without risking skin discoloration).  
These issues were also explained to the patient on multiple occasions.  In order for us to improve the area, we may need to do more treatments.  She would have to bear the cost of further treatment.  She also signed the consent form explaining this particular issue.  I also personally discussed this with the patient on 12/19/2014 prior to her original procedure.
3. Upper eyelid "looking weird".
Her before and after photos show nothing "weird" about her upper eyelids.  On the contrary, she has had a nice improvement.  Furthermore, she  never voiced any concern with regard to her upper eyelids when I met with her on 4/21/2015, 5/28/2015, and 9/15/2015.
Lastly, I made every effort to make this patient satisfied with her care in my office.  On 9/15/2015, I treated her with free Botox and Juvederm, a treatment worth $950.  Each time I met with her, she seemed happy and satisfied with the care I gave her. 
I am always more than willing to address patient concerns when they have merit.  And parts of this patient's concerns do have merit.   I spent a lot of time with this patient on ways we could improve her results.  So, it is absolutely not true what she stated with regard to the idea that I told her that there is nothing further that could be done.
I stand by my care for this patient.  To be sure, we can improve things with regard to her results.  I am willing to perform whatever procedures required free of charge.  However, she will be responsible for the costs of the anesthesia and operating room as  she and I discussed prior to her procedure and also was outlined in her signed consent form.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lee

Dear Revdex.com,
I want to clarify the following issues after reviewing Dr. lee's email:
1.  The eye bag at the left eye is not a tiny area. It grows larger day by day. It grew from a smaller area to about half inch now. I already borrowed $17,400 from 4 credit cards, and I lost my job in April, 2015. I cannot afford another $1,100 fee to fix the failed procedure of left eye bag. I emailed 3 times regarding this problem. Dr. Lee saw me a few month ago. He said that he was very careful, and he did not know why the left eye bag procedure failed.
2. When I pointed out "Dr. lee said there was nothing he can do": I meant the deep wrinkles. There are many deep wrinkles around two eyes and the mouth. My 3 emails mentioned this problem. And I also told Dr. Lee in person. He told me that I just have to fix those wrinkles by injecting filler and Botox continuously. I already went to [redacted] in Irvine in May, 2015 to get filler and Botox around 2 eyes and lips. Which means after I spent over seventeen thousands, I still need to spend thousands every year to get filler and Botox. Since filler and Botox can last only around 4 months. I need to get 3 times per year. This does not make sense.
3. After 2 upper eye lids removal procedure, my right upper eye lid later on developed a deep irregular line at the corner. As time passed by, the line was more and more obvious. It looked weird.
Like I mentioned before, I am not asking for a full refund. Therefore, I would like to get refund for the following failed procedures:
The failed left eye bag procedure (2 eye bags removal fee divided by 2)
The weird line after right eye lid removal procedure (2 eye lids removal fee divided by 2)
The deep wrinkles around the mouth and eyes after dermabrasions and face lift procedures
[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com,I want to clarify the following issues after reviewing Dr. lee's email:1.  The eye bag at the left eye is not a tiny area. It grows larger day by day. It grew from a smaller area to about half inch now. I already borrowed $17,400 from 4 credit cards, and I lost my job in April, 2015. I cannot afford another $1,100 fee to fix the failed procedure of left eye bag. I emailed 3 times regarding this problem. Dr. Lee saw me a few month ago. He said that he was very careful, and he did not know why the left eye bag procedure failed.2. When I pointed out "Dr. lee said there was nothing he can do": I meant the deep wrinkles. There are many deep wrinkles around two eyes and the mouth. My 3 emails mentioned this problem. And I also told Dr. Lee in person. He told me that I just have to fix those wrinkles by injecting filler and Botox continuously. I already went to [redacted] in Irvine in May, 2015 to get filler and Botox around 2 eyes and lips. Which means after I spent over seventeen thousands, I still need to spend thousands every year to get filler and Botox. Since filler and Botox can last only around 4 months. I need to get 3 times per year. This does not make sense.3. After 2 upper eye lids removal procedure, my right upper eye lid later on developed a deep irregular line at the corner. As time passed by, the line was more and more obvious. It looked weird.Like I mentioned before, I am not asking for a full refund. Therefore, I would like to get refund for the following failed procedures:The failed left eye bag procedure (2 eye bags removal fee divided by 2)The weird line after right eye lid removal procedure (2 eye lids removal fee divided by 2)The deep wrinkles around the mouth and eyes after dermabrasions and face lift procedures[redacted]

To whom it may concern,It is truly disheartening to hear about any of my patients not being 110% satisfied with the care I have provided for them.  This is because I spend an extraordinary amount of time laboring over each and every patient with regard to their well-being and satisfaction with...

our office.   Truly, if the patient is not happy at any point of their care,  I am not satisfied and I won't rest until all problems are fully addressed to the satisfaction of the patient.  With that said, I have tried to address the concerns of this patient on multiple occasions.  I met with her on 4/21/2015, 5/28/2015, 9/15/2015 in order to try to resolve this matter.  The following is a response to each of this patient's concerns1. Residual fat in one of her lower eyelid:In all aspects, the eyelid surgery on this patient was a success.  She does have a small (<1cm) puffiness in the corner of one of her lower eyelid.  I have offered to do surgery free of charge in order to correct this.  As is customary in these rare situations, the patient is responsible just for the cost of the anesthesiologist and operating room fees at the surgery center which we would need to do the surgery.  This was made clear on her consent form which she signed prior to her original procedure.  Specifically, the consent form states the following under the RISKS section.It states, "There are many variable conditions that may influence the long-term result of surgery.  It is unknown how your tissue may respond or how wound healing will occur after surgery.  Secondary surgery may be necessary to perform additional tightening or repositioning of body structures... Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee or warranty expressed or implied, on the results that may be obtained.  In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure."Also, on the consent form, it states that "In signing the consent for this surgery/procedure, you acknowledge that you have been informed about its risks and consequences and accept responsibility for the clinical decisions that were made along with the financial costs of all future treatments".The signed consent form can be provided for review at the request of the patient.I also personally discussed the risks of the possibility of need for more surgery when I met with this patient on 12/19/2014 prior to her original procedure on 12/23/2014.2. Lines around the mouth after dermabrasion:Dermabrasion is a technique that is used to address fine lines around the mouth.  It mechanically scrapes the very top layer of skin so that the underlying skin can tighten and in turn, improve the appearance of wrinkles.  One of the risks of dermabrasion is hyper- and hypo-pigmentation.  This means that the skin can appear discolored as a result of the procedure.  Typically, the darker the skin tone, more likely you will have this complication of skin discoloration.  Given this patient's darker skin tone, I was conservative in the treatment of her wrinkles around the mouth in order to avoid skin discoloration.  Typically, the less deep you go in scraping the skin surface, less likely you are to have the skin discoloration.  The flip side of this is that the wrinkles may not improve as dramatically.  This requires further treatment using the same technique.  (It is essentially a way to incrementally improve the area without risking skin discoloration).  These issues were also explained to the patient on multiple occasions.  In order for us to improve the area, we may need to do more treatments.  She would have to bear the cost of further treatment.  She also signed the consent form explaining this particular issue.  I also personally discussed this with the patient on 12/19/2014 prior to her original procedure.3. Upper eyelid "looking weird".Her before and after photos show nothing "weird" about her upper eyelids.  On the contrary, she has had a nice improvement.  Furthermore, she  never voiced any concern with regard to her upper eyelids when I met with her on 4/21/2015, 5/28/2015, and 9/15/2015.Lastly, I made every effort to make this patient satisfied with her care in my office.  On 9/15/2015, I treated her with free Botox and Juvederm, a treatment worth $950.  Each time I met with her, she seemed happy and satisfied with the care I gave her. I am always more than willing to address patient concerns when they have merit.  And parts of this patient's concerns do have merit.   I spent a lot of time with this patient on ways we could improve her results.  So, it is absolutely not true what she stated with regard to the idea that I told her that there is nothing further that could be done.I stand by my care for this patient.  To be sure, we can improve things with regard to her results.  I am willing to perform whatever procedures required free of charge.  However, she will be responsible for the costs of the anesthesia and operating room as  she and I discussed prior to her procedure and also was outlined in her signed consent form.Sincerely,Dr. Lee