‘Focusing on eyes, nose, and face, understanding 1mm differences before and after surgery, and strong in trends’
As surgical techniques become increasingly complex, Korean plastic surgery clinics are now seeing a growing trend where individual doctors specialize in specific surgical areas rather than handling all fields. 1mm Plastic Surgery, known for its detailed service and ‘golden hands’ that attract international patients, specializes in eye and nose surgeries. All three of its directors are board-certified plastic surgeons and the clinic is registered as a medical institution for attracting foreign patients by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. We met with Dr. Do Eon-rok, the chief director, whose accurate and delicate touch ensures not even a 1mm error or change is missed, to hear about 1mm’s philosophy, strengths in satisfying clients, and recent activities in the field of plastic surgery academia.
Plastic Surgery, like specialized art genres, is subdivided, hence the specialization in eye surgery and facial surgery
1mm Plastic Surgery (hereinafter ‘1mm’), selected in the ‘Eye Plastic Surgery’ category of the <2023 Korea Representative Brands TOP100> and known as a ‘God Doctor’ in the eye surgery section of the Babitalk app, was opened by Dr. Do Eon-rok in 2018 after he branched out from a large plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam. It has since expanded and relocated to a four-story building across from Gangnam-daero. Four years ago, skilled surgeon Dr. Kim Hong-jin and Dr. Na Young-soo, who gained extensive clinical experience at university hospitals, joined the team. Since then, 1mm has grown into a plastic surgery clinic optimized for ‘eyes and nose,’ specializing in eyes, nose, fat grafting, petit procedures, lifting, and anti-aging. Chief Director Do explains, “All three of us are plastic surgeons registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. We operate a real-name system for the assigned director, providing one-on-one direct consultations and direct surgeries from consultation to operation.” Dr. Do, as an academic committee member of the Eye Plastic Surgery Research Society, has presented various eye surgical methods at the Asian Blepharoplasty Forum session of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons’ international academic conference. He is also an expert in ‘surgical technique research,’ leading the introduction of surgical innovations through invited lectures and live surgery demonstrations at various academic conferences, including the International Congress of the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “In the past, it was common for one plastic surgeon to perform surgeries on all parts of the body, from head to toe. However, currently, the expertise and techniques have developed further for each surgical area, leading to a significant increase in specialized doctors and hospitals. This trend is expected to continue. Also, unlike in the past when hospital signboards and offline advertisements were the main focus, customers now directly verify and choose medical staff and institutions based on actual surgical reviews, technical skills, and service quality on blogs and social media. The quality standards that actual customers demand have also become more stringent. Therefore, unlike in the past when one doctor handled the entire body, including face, breasts, body shape, and bone surgery, specialists in specific body parts seem to be gaining prominence.” Accordingly, Dr. Do states that he established a hospital specializing in facial areas, including eyes, and facial soft tissue plastic surgery, with abundant training and surgical experience, in line with these changes.
Emphasizing 1mm-level accuracy and authenticity of results for aesthetic plastic surgery and anti-aging purposes
Dr. Do excels not only in aesthetic plastic surgery of the eyes and nose, which are soft tissues of the face, but also in anti-aging surgeries that reverse facial aging. Furthermore, 1mm’s brand image and catchphrase are focused on ‘accuracy’ and authenticity. The name was chosen with the intention of satisfying clients with eyes and noses that change subtly with even a 1mm difference, rather than merely emphasizing volume and size. Dr. Do’s technical strengths include natural double eyelid creation, double eyelid revision surgery, and facial anti-aging surgeries. He is also proficient in ptosis correction, rhinoplasty, and various anti-aging procedures. “The more drastic the pre- and post-operative changes, the longer the recovery period. Nowadays, many clients seek natural results, and busy modern individuals seem to prefer surgeries that allow for a quick return to daily life. Therefore, we make significant efforts to meet these demands. Revision surgery is also a major area for us. Clients who have experienced failure once have a great fear of surgery, so they choose a hospital more carefully. We must provide more accurate consultations and results,” says Dr. Do, who proposes the most ideal surgical method considering the client’s facial structure and unique impression. He adds that the CS mindset has also become more detailed due to current plastic surgery trends, explaining, “Our philosophy aims to accurately satisfy all elements by analyzing client demands from various angles. We particularly value accuracy and authenticity. Firstly, based on the style and concept requested by the client, we objectively consider not only the client’s personal satisfaction but also whether others would evaluate the client’s surgical results as excellent. Especially for the face, symmetry of the eyes, jaw, and nose is crucial, so even if the patient does not explicitly request it, we meticulously assess and guide them towards achieving symmetry. Secondly, since aesthetic plastic surgery is not for treating diseases but for satisfying an individual’s desire for improved appearance, we coolly examine whether the patient’s satisfaction is definitely met compared to their economic, temporal, and physical investment. This is because only then can it be evaluated as truly successful aesthetic surgery.”
Participating in academic book authorship by Harvard Medical School faculty and top domestic plastic surgery experts
As one of the academic members of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons’ Eye Plastic Surgery Research Society, which can be seen as being at the forefront of eye plastic surgery in Korea and Asia, he states, “While there are opinions that North America and Brazil are strong in breast and body surgery, I believe there is no disagreement that Korea has the world’s best technology for East Asian eye and nose surgery. Therefore, Korean plastic surgery experts who once observed demonstrations by American plastic surgeons are now in a position to transfer their techniques to overseas doctors. In fact, for the past 10 years, many overseas doctors, including those from prestigious American medical schools, have come to Korea for training to learn East Asian facial plastic surgery.” Accordingly, Dr. Do also participated two years ago in writing the ‘Asian Blepharoplasty’ section, an Asian item among the 10 sections of Volume 1 of a book on step-by-step surgical techniques for American eye plastic surgery, published under the supervision of Harvard Medical School faculty in the United States, along with Chinese-American Professor Chang. Furthermore, he re-participated this year as a writer for the eye plastic surgery part of the academic book <Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2nd Edition Vol.2>, authored by top domestic plastic surgery lifting experts, after participating in the first edition. He states, “Many excellent medical professionals in Korea have made numerous research attempts in the fields of eye, nose, and anti-aging surgery,” and adds, “It was an honor just to participate in writing this textbook-like guideline, which compiles the work of specialists who have contributed to academic activities and theoretical development. Since skilled plastic surgeons from various fields and respected professors participated in its authorship, I recommend that interested residents and fellows read it.”
The secret to many successes is ‘honestly explaining the probability of success achievable with current medical technology’
Meanwhile, Dr. Do, who holds the philosophy of “honestly communicating the realistic feasibility when clients request things that are unlikely to be realized,” says that while it may seem a bit cold, facing reality leads to the best results and actually high post-operative satisfaction. Unlike other surgical fields where risks might be taken to save critically ill patients, aesthetic plastic surgery involves healthy individuals undergoing surgery for improved appearance. Therefore, the patient’s current condition and the probability of surgical success must be more meticulously considered, and attempting surgeries with high complication risks and leaving the results to chance should be avoided. He explains that by performing tens of thousands of such surgeries, he has ultimately increased both patient satisfaction and surgical success rates. “As a doctor and a plastic surgeon, once a patient decides to undergo surgery and invests time and money, I believe it is my duty to strive for the best possible outcome and not to recommend investments where failure is anticipated. And we aim to provide high-quality services to everyone who seeks 1mm Plastic Surgery, which specializes in facial areas instead of expanding into various fields,” says Dr. Do. He further explains, “Even without actively engaging in overseas marketing, many foreign clients have found ‘1mm’ on their own after seeing blog posts and SNS photo reviews. In the future, we want to actively provide satisfactory surgeries and medical services in our specialized areas to various overseas clients in addition to Korean ones.” Finally, Dr. Do stated, “Above all, we are truly dedicated to ‘results.’ The number of surgeries is important, but we are most interested in the number of ‘successful’ surgeries, and minimizing failed cases is crucial. Therefore, we will do our best to ensure that when people look for a plastic surgery clinic that makes accurate judgments and delivers reliable results down to the ‘1mm’ unit, they immediately think of our ‘1mm Plastic Surgery’.”
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