SEOUL, South Korea — Nearly 20 years ago, Lee Geung-ja was working the night shift at a factory in North Korea when an accident with melting plastic left her face scarred and discolored. Most of her left eyebrow and eyelid were destroyed. In her own words, she looked like “a monster.”

In 2010, she defected to South Korea, where she lived like a creature of the night, working alone cleaning buildings and bathhouses in the wee hours to avoid being stared at. Her self-consciousness wasn’t helped by the fact that South Korean society places a huge importance on appearance, particularly for women: Plastic surgery is a common gift for daughters after high school or for college graduates hunting for jobs.

“When I walk on the street or have to meet another person, I instinctively lower my face and turn to the left not to show its left side,” Ms. Lee, 40, said in an interview. “In South Korea, where even good-looking people go under the knife, I find it harder to compete with this face.”

Now Ms. Lee is getting help she never dreamed of: A plastic surgeon has volunteered to help her regain some of her old looks — and self-esteem.