Surgical Artistry & Elegance

Board-Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

Dr. Lee is an accomplished, Ivy League-trained, Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon specializing in facial reconstruction, facial feminization surgery, craniomaxillofacial surgery, cancer and trauma reconstruction, and aesthetic surgery. He is dedicated to changing lives through compassionate care and consistently delivering quality results that appear natural and refined.
After graduating with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Lee was awarded a scholarship to attend the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, earning AOA honors in the process. He then completed Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery residency at Columbia and Cornell University where he trained at some of the nation’s top hospitals including the Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Lee was then accepted into the prestigious UCLA Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship program founded by world-renowned Craniofacial Surgeon Dr. Henry Kawamoto, where he obtained specialized training in facial feminization surgery, pediatric plastic surgery, orthognathic surgery, and craniomaxillofacial surgery.
As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Lee serves as the Physician Lead for Gender-Affirming Surgery in Southern California and as the Plastic Surgery Director at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. He is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at both the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. Dr. Lee serves as a Section Editor for the FACE Journal and has published dozens of scientific articles in peer-reviewed plastic surgery journals with his work presented extensively at national and international conferences.
Outside of the operating room, Dr. Lee is passionate about surgical education, clinical research, medical innovation, and international charity work. He has donated his time as a surgeon on volunteer medical missions and has made appearances on the television show Grey’s Anatomy.

FAcial Feminization Surgery
As the Lead Gender-Affirming Surgeon for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Dr. Lee has performed hundreds of facial feminization procedures and is considered an expert in the field with dozens of publications, presentations, and invited lectures across the world.
Breast Surgery
With a focus on natural and refined results, Dr. Lee offers a variety of surgical breast procedures including breast augmentation, breast reduction surgery, breast lift (mastopexy), and gender-affirming chest surgery.
Body Surgery
Happiness lies in the feeling of comfort with your body and Dr. Lee supports his patients’ goals with body contouring procedures including abdominoplasty, liposuction, fat grafting, arm lifts, and thigh lifts.
Facial Aesthetics
As a fellowship-trained expert in facial surgery, Dr. Lee provides artistry in facial rejuvenation with offerings including nose surgery, facelift, neck lift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, lip lift, facial augmentation, buccal fat removal, submental liposuction, and ear surgery.

Awards
Castle Connolly Top Doctors 2024-2026
Outstanding Research Scholarship and Mentorship Award, Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine 2024
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Research Poster Award 2024 & 2025
California Society of Plastic Surgeons 1st Place Research Poster Award, Craniofacial Surgery 2024
Best Research Award, Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2023 & 2025
Dicran Goulian, MD Award for Academic Excellence 2019 & 2018
American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons Resident Scholar Award 2018
Distinguished Housestaff Award, Weill Cornell 2018
Best Aesthetic Paper Award, Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2016 & 2017
Resident of the Month, Columbia & Cornell 2016
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honors, UCLA School of Medicine 2012
Letter of Distinction in Surgery, Medicine, and Psychiatry, UCLA 2012
Oliver Goldsmith, MD Scholarship Award 2011
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Award 2010
Dean’s Letter of Commendation for Head & Neck Dissection, UCLA 2010
Lewis A. Eldrige Medical Scholarship, UCLA School of Medicine 2009
I.L. Chaikoff Memorial Award, University of California, Berkeley 2009
Recent Publications
Temporal Rotation Flaps for Gender Affirming Hairline Feminization: Taking the “M” Shape Out of the Masculine Hairline. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery. 2025
Comparison of Transoral and Transcutaneous Approaches for Gender-Affirming Thyroid Cartilage Reduction: A Case Series of 238 Patients. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2025
The Evolution of a Large-Scale Facial Gender Affirmation Program: A Comparative Outcomes Analysis. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery. 2024
A Differential Analysis of Preferred Feminine Facial Contours for Transfeminine Individuals. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. 2024
Ambulatory Facial Feminization Surgery: A Comparative Analysis of Outcomes and Complications. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery. 2024
A Case Report of Craniofacial Intraosseous Xanthoma in a Patient Seeking Facial Feminization Surgery. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2024
Changes in Personal Protective Equipment Practices and Perceptions of Craniofacial Surgeons During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open. 2023
Complexity of online facial feminization surgery material exceeds patient health literacy. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. 2022
Improved success rate with corticocancellous block compared to cancellous-only trephine technique in alveolar bone grafting from the iliac crest. Plastic and Reconstructive Surg. 2022
Evaluation and treatment of facial feminization surgery: part II. lips, midface, mandible, chin, and laryngeal prominence. Archives of Plastic Surgery. 2022
Evaluation and treatment of facial feminization surgery: part I. forehead, orbits, eyebrows, eyes, and nose. Archives of Plastic Surgery. 2021
30+
Publications & Book Chapters
50+
Abstracts, Posters, & Presentations


Healing the Children Medical Mission
Arequipa, Peru

Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Episode 10
“Help Me Through the Night”

Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Episode 21
“Put on a Happy Face”

Artistry. Refinement. Elegance.
Dr. Lee currently practices at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center.
Available by referral only.
