Honest Lee

Chris Lee, MD
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Every episode lives by one premise: what would you say to a close friend who just asked "honestly... what do you think?" That means no hedging, no corporate speak, no fear of controversy — just the real answer, delivered with warmth and some humor!

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    What Men Don't Say Out Loud: The Gynecomastia Conversation We Actually Have in Consults (S1E8B) | Honest Lee

    Most men have never said the word gynecomastia out loud before they call. Chris Lee, MD and patient coordinator Jenna Gomez talk about what that conversation actually sounds like — and what men need to hear. FULL SHOW NOTES Chris Lee, MD and patient coordinator Jenna Gomez continue the gynecomastia conversation from Episode 5A — this time focused on the human side: the stigma, the embarrassment, and what men actually say when they finally ask the question. In this episode: Male aesthetic stigma in 2026 — is it genuinely fading, and what does that look like from the inside of a practice? What Jenna hears when men call about gynecomastia — and how it differs from other consult calls The room conversation: what Chris says when a patient can barely bring himself to describe the problem The GLP-1 male patient — a newer presentation he's seeing more of The steroid conversation — honest, non-judgmental, and worth having The workout myth: how long men try to fix this before finding out it wasn't a training problem Ask Me Honestly Q&A — rapid-fire patient questions ─── Dr. Chris Lee, MD is a plastic surgeon at Clareo Aesthetics in Chestnut Hill, Boston, specializing in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body — as well as injectables, non-invasive rejuvenation, hormone optimization, and medical weight loss. clareoplasticsurgery.com  ·  @ChrisLee.MD Honest Lee is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized medical advice. Results vary. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine what is appropriate for your individual anatomy and goals.

    23 min

  2. Jun 23

    Why Women Are Choosing Smaller Implants in 2026 — And What That Actually Means for You (S1E9A) | Honest Lee Podcast

    Dr. Chris Lee, MD breaks down what's actually changed about breast augmentation in 2026 — from the cultural shift toward smaller, more proportionate results to the specific technology and technique making that possible. In this episode: The ballerina breast trend and why average implant sizes have dropped meaningfully Anatomy-first planning — why cup size is the wrong starting point Motiva implants: SmoothSilk surface, ProgressiveGel, and reported capsular contracture rates The real anatomical difference between dual plane, subfascial, and Preserve placement Why Preserve extends candidacy to thin patients in a way other muscle-sparing techniques don't Candidacy: who's a good fit for each approach What a good consultation should actually cover ─── Dr. Chris Lee, MD is a plastic surgeon at Clareo Aesthetics in Chestnut Hill, Boston, specializing in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body — as well as injectables, non-invasive rejuvenation, hormone optimization, and medical weight loss. clareoplasticsurgery.com  ·  @ChrisLee.MD Honest Lee is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized medical advice. Results vary. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine what is appropriate for your individual anatomy and goals.

    16 min

  3. Jun 16

    The Chest Problem No One Talks About: What Men Actually Need to Know About Gynecomastia (S1E8A)| Honest Lee Podcast

    If you've been grinding at the gym trying to fix your chest and it isn't working the way you expected — there may be a reason for that. For a meaningful number of men, the issue isn't effort or body fat. It's glandular tissue. And no training protocol changes glandular tissue. In this episode, Dr. Chris Lee, MD covers everything men should know before walking into a gynecomastia consultation — including options most plastic surgery content doesn't discuss. In this episode: Glandular vs. fatty tissue — the distinction that changes everything about candidacy and treatment What causes gynecomastia and why it's more common than most men know Excision, liposuction, and VASER — how the approach depends on what's actually there BodyTite and Morpheus8 for skin tightening — how to avoid loose skin without extra incisions Fat grafting to the upper pec — reshaping and lifting the chest beyond tissue removal Post-massive-weight-loss presentations — when skin excision is the right conversation Candidacy: who's a good fit, who should wait, and the steroid and adolescent conversations Green and red flags in a gynecomastia consultation ─── Dr. Chris Lee, MD is a plastic surgeon at Clareo Aesthetics in Chestnut Hill, Boston, specializing in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body — as well as injectables, non-invasive rejuvenation, hormone optimization, and medical weight loss. clareoplasticsurgery.com  ·  @ChrisLee.MD Honest Lee is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized medical advice. Results vary. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine what is appropriate for your individual anatomy and goals.

    20 min

  4. Jun 11

    Are Facelifts Still Taboo? (S1E7B) | Honest Lee Podcast

    In this episode of Honest Lee, Dr. Chris Lee sits down with Patient Consultant Jenna Gomez to discuss one of the most talked-about topics in aesthetics today: facelifts. From celebrity influence and social media trends to the stigma that still surrounds plastic surgery, Dr. Lee and Jenna explore how perceptions of facial aging and cosmetic procedures continue to evolve. They break down common misconceptions about facelifts, discuss the rise of newer techniques such as ponytail facelifts and endoscopic procedures, and explain why choosing the right treatment at the right time is more important than chasing trends. The conversation also covers the growing number of men seeking aesthetic procedures, the role of fillers versus surgery, and the questions patients should be asking during a consultation. Whether you're considering facial rejuvenation yourself or simply want a better understanding of modern plastic surgery, this episode offers valuable insight into aging gracefully and making informed decisions with confidence. TOPICS ★ Facelift myths and misconceptions ★ Social media's influence on aesthetic trends ★ When fillers may no longer be the best option ★ The differences between surgical and non-surgical treatments ★ Men and aesthetic procedures ★ How to choose the right plastic surgeon ★ Setting realistic expectations for cosmetic procedures CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Aesthetic Conversations 02:47 Celebrity Influence on Aesthetic Procedures 06:06 Stigma Surrounding Facelifts 09:06 Generational Perspectives on Plastic Surgery 12:01 Men and Aesthetic Procedures 14:57 Consultation Insights and Patient Expectations 18:07 Researching Aesthetic Procedures 20:51 Patient Questions and Misconceptions 23:56 Understanding Patient Expectations 27:53 The Economics of Aesthetic Procedures 30:24 Managing Patient Concerns and Expectations 32:34 Consultation Insights for Facelifts 35:21 Recognizing When Filler is Too Much 37:15 Choosing the Right Surgeon 40:10 Men and Aesthetic Procedures: Breaking the Stigma Follow Honest Lee Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honestleepod/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HonestLeePod For more information about Dr. Chris Lee and Clareo Plastic Surgery, visit: Website: https://clareoplasticsurgery.com/  New episodes of Honest Lee are released regularly. Subscribe and follow to stay up to date on the latest conversations in plastic surgery and aesthetics.

    38 min

  5. May 29

    Am I Too Young for a Facelift? Honestly, You Might Be Asking the Wrong Question

    The most common thing I hear when someone books a facelift consultation isn't about pain or recovery or cost. It's: "Please don't make me look fake."That fear is real — but it's based on an older version of surgery that doesn't reflect what modern facelift technique actually delivers. And it's quietly keeping a lot of good candidates from a conversation worth having.In this episode of Honest Lee, I break down everything patients in their 40s and 50s should actually know before walking into a facelift consultation — including a 2026 study that genuinely changed how I think about timing.What we cover:→ Why the fastest-growing facelift demographic is now patients in their 40s and early 50s→ What's actually happening structurally when your face ages (it's not just skin)→ The difference between a deep plane facelift and older techniques — and why modern results look natural→ The Honestly Scale: patient satisfaction, longevity, recovery, and the fear vs. reality gap→ Who tends to be a good candidate — and who isn't right now→ What a good consultation should actually look like, including the green and red flagsThe question isn't "am I too young?" It's whether the timing makes sense for your anatomy and your goals. The consultation is where you find out.———🎙 Honest Lee is hosted by Dr. Chris Lee, MD — plastic surgeon at Clareo Aesthetics in Chestnut Hill, Boston. Honest answers, no marketing, no hype. Just the version you'd get from a friend who happens to be your surgeon.📍 Clareo Aesthetics — Chestnut Hill, Boston🔗 Schedule a consultation: clareoplasticsurgery.comFollow Honest Lee:🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link]🎧 Spotify: [link]📸 Instagram: @ChrisLee.MD———DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Results vary. Always consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine what's right for your individual anatomy and goals.

    14 min

  6. May 11

    Peptides: Miracle or Marketing?

    The global peptide supplement market hit $4.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $11.2 billion by 2035. Instagram influencers, Silicon Valley biohackers, and MAHA movement figures are all talking about them. Your patients are asking about them constantly. And the regulatory landscape just changed dramatically — in April 2026, RFK Jr. announced the removal of 12 peptides including BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu from the FDA's restricted Category 2 list, with an advisory panel convening in July 2026 to formally consider adding them back to the legal compounding list. This episode is the honest, physician-level answer to a question patients ask every week: are peptides real medicine or expensive hope? Dr. Chris Lee goes compound by compound — what the science actually says, what he personally uses and prescribes, what he wouldn't touch, and what the regulatory situation actually means for patients trying to access them safely. From BPC-157 and TB-500 for healing and recovery, to the tesamorelin/ipamorelin GH stack, to sermorelin, to GHK-Cu for skin and tissue remodeling, to the GLP-1s as the most successful peptides in history — this is the unfiltered, clinical version of the peptide conversation. Chris is currently using the tesamorelin/ipamorelin stack himself and shares his real early results including measurable improvements in deep sleep, overnight sleep continuity, workout recovery, and HRV. The honest answer is nuanced: some of these compounds have real, compelling evidence. Some are mostly hype. Some sit in a fascinating gray zone where the anecdotal signal is strong but the clinical trials don't yet exist. And the regulatory picture — which just shifted significantly — means that access and legality are both moving targets right now. Chris explains exactly where everything stands as of today.

    34 min

  7. May 5

    Leave Kris Jenner's Face Alone

    This episode is ripped from today's headlines. As of this recording, Kris Jenner just appeared on Khloé Kardashian's podcast to personally deny reports that she hates her facelift and is furious at her surgeon. The tabloid narrative — that her procedure is 'already slipping,' that she's 'raging,' that Dr. Steven Levine failed her — appears to be, in Jenner's own words, a 'flat-out lie.' She says she loves her results and adores her doctor. But the damage was already done. In the weeks between the Radar story and Jenner's pushback, dozens of plastic surgeons took to social media to diagnose exactly what went wrong, explain precisely what technique they would have used, and implicitly — or not so implicitly — suggest they would have done it better. Without ever examining her. Without her medical history. Without knowing her tissue quality. Based entirely on a Getty photo. This solo episode is Chris's honest, unfiltered take on all of it — the surgeon pile-on culture, what facelifts actually do over time, the filter and makeup artist problem the Kardashian-Jenner machine has created, the cost question, and the broader harm done to real patients who are watching all of this and drawing the wrong conclusions.

    28 min

  8. Apr 27

    Every Man Over 40 Should Probably Know His Testosterone Level

    Testosterone levels in American men have been declining for decades — measurably, generationally, in ways that are not fully explained by aging alone. Men in their thirties today have meaningfully lower testosterone on average than men in their thirties did in the 1980s. One in five men under 40 meets the clinical definition of testosterone deficiency. Four in ten men over 45 have low testosterone. And the vast majority of them have never been told. Not because the symptoms aren't there. They are. But because the symptoms of low testosterone — fatigue, low motivation, mood changes, body composition shifts, loss of drive — look exactly like what society tells men getting older is supposed to feel like. So they accept it. They blame work stress, poor sleep, getting older. They never ask the question that might actually have an answer. This is a personal episode. Dr. Chris Lee talks about his own relationship with hormone health — what he has checked, how he thinks about it at his age and stage, and why he believes this conversation is one of the highest-ROI health discussions any man can have. He covers what low T actually looks like beyond the libido clichés, what labs to actually order and what the numbers mean, what TRT involves and who it's right for, who it isn't right for, and where peptides and adjunct therapies fit into the fuller picture of male optimization.

    30 min

  9. Apr 20

    GLP-1s Are Changing Bodies Faster Than Surgery Can Keep Up

    More than 12% of American adults are now taking a GLP-1 medication — a number that more than doubled in the past eighteen months alone. These drugs are genuinely, historically remarkable. Semaglutide produces roughly 15% total body weight loss in clinical trials. Tirzepatide pushes that to nearly 21%. For millions of people who have struggled with obesity for decades, that is life-changing. The cardiovascular benefits, the metabolic reset, the relief from joint pain, the restored energy — this is real medicine doing real things. But there is a downstream consequence that the prescribing community — primary care, endocrinology, obesity medicine — is not consistently preparing patients for. When you lose 50, 60, 80 pounds in under a year, your skin doesn't know what happened. Your face doesn't know what happened. Your breasts don't know. And the aesthetic consequences — Ozempic face, skin laxity, deflated body contours, muscle loss — are landing patients in plastic surgery consult rooms faster than the field can adapt. In this episode, Dr. Chris Lee and Jenna Gomez take a firmly pro-GLP-1 stance while giving patients the full picture: what these drugs actually do, why the aesthetic side effects happen, what can be done about them, and — critically — what patients should be doing from day one to protect themselves. Episode Overview 1: What GLP-1s actually do and why they work so well 2: Ozempic face — the mechanism, the reality, and the fix 3: The body: skin laxity, muscle loss, and breast deflation 4: The surgical wave — what procedures are surging and why 5: Chris's honest take — should you be on one?

    33 min

  10. Apr 13

    Is your injector quietly ruining your face?

    The med spa industry is a $19 billion market in the United States alone — and it is almost entirely unregulated at the federal level. There is no single governing body overseeing who is holding a syringe in the procedure room. Rules vary wildly by state, enforcement is inconsistent, and patients routinely walk in without any idea who is actually qualified to touch their face — or whether the product in that syringe is even real. In this episode, Dr. Chris Lee is joined by Jenna Gomez — patient coordinator at Clareo Aesthetics, trusted colleague, and the person who talks to patients every single day about what they've had done, what went wrong, and what they wish they'd known. Together they break down who is legally allowed to inject, what a weekend certification course actually teaches (and doesn't), how to tell a legitimate practice from a liability waiting to happen, and what Jenna sees patients consistently getting wrong before they ever walk through the door. There's also a local angle that hits close to home: in late 2025, a Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to injecting patients with unapproved botulinum toxin at his Milton med spa, leading to ten documented botulism cases. This isn't a Florida problem. It's a right-here, right-now problem.

    35 min

  11. Apr 6

    You Dont Need a Facelift. You Need to Stop Looking Like You've Had One!

    The aesthetic industry performs over 38 million procedures globally per year — and a growing share of patients are coming to their first consultation not asking 'can you help me look better?' but 'can you fix what someone else did to me?' This episode tackles the uncomfortable truth at the heart of modern aesthetic medicine: the problem isn't just bad surgeons. It's an industry that has normalized the over-operated look, confused patients who can't distinguish between a good result and a famous one, and a filler culture running completely out of control. Dr. Lee gives his honest, unfiltered take — backed by real statistics and real consult-room experience — on what separates a natural, beautiful result from one that screams 'I've had work done.' He covers the pillow-face filler epidemic, the windswept facelift problem, what a natural result actually looks like, and the exact questions patients should ask before trusting anyone with their face.

    28 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

Every episode lives by one premise: what would you say to a close friend who just asked "honestly... what do you think?" That means no hedging, no corporate speak, no fear of controversy — just the real answer, delivered with warmth and some humor!

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Lee, MD
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Chris Lee, MD
  • Show Website
    Honest Lee