Dr. Julia Kerolus

Dr. Julia Kerolus is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Kerolus Facial Plastic Surgery in Atlanta. She holds board certification from two bodies: the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, then completed a five-year otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she served as chief resident. Her advanced facial plastic surgery fellowship took place in Beverly Hills under Dr. Paul Nassif and Dr. Babak Azizzadeh. Early in her career she worked at the University of Illinois Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, where she led the Facial Nerve Center.

Her work concentrates on the face and neck. It covers surgical and non-surgical facial rejuvenation, facial contouring, rhinoplasty including functional and revision cases, and facial nerve reanimation with synkinesis surgery for paralysis caused by trauma, Bell's palsy or other causes. She also performs neck lifts, alone or combined with facelifts. Her anti-aging injection plans use dermal fillers and other injectables. She also sees patients who want to correct the results of superficial or poorly planned procedures done elsewhere.

Consultations assess facial movement, how tissue has descended, volume, skin quality, scarring and how the face meets the neck, alongside health and photo history. She approaches facelifts mainly as a matter of anatomy and proportion, aiming to restore support while keeping recognizable features intact, and she takes a conservative, structural approach to first-time cases. For mini neck lifts she selects the smallest operation that addresses the concern, and she may suggest targeted eyelid surgery or skin resurfacing when either suits a patient better. In rhinoplasty she evaluates the bridge, tip, nostrils, septum and airway, chooses open or closed access based on the planned changes, and explains trade-offs such as how lowering the bridge can alter tip projection. Patients describe her as accessible, direct and unhurried. She reviews recovery guidance herself and stays involved from consultation through follow-up.

She teaches facial synkinesis surgery to other surgeons, lectures residents and trains fellows at Emory University, and researches facial paralysis management, quality of patient care and healthcare delivery worldwide. In 2019 she co-edited, with Dr. Paul Nassif, a textbook on revision facial surgery, and she has co-authored book chapters, including one on upper eyelid rejuvenation. Her honors include the 2024 Alumnus of the Year award from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Lemel Otology Award, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award and the Sarah Morrison Research Grant. The practice reports that Atlanta Magazine named her a Top Doctor in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and describes her as a facelift expert and the leading facial synkinesis plastic surgeon in the southeastern United States.

Her volunteer surgical work includes serving as a craniofacial reconstruction team member with the Global Smile Foundation in Guayaquil, Ecuador; as supervising surgeon in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Nordic Medical Center in Addis Ababa; as a telesurgery facilitator at Black Lion Hospital in Ethiopia; and as a Spanish interpreter and surgical assistant with the Medical Missions Foundation in Antigua, Guatemala. She also volunteers with Ronald McDonald House Charities.