Dr. med.
Julia Berkei
Dr. Julia Berkei talks about her
career as an expert in plastic
and aesthetic surgery
A passionate surgeon.
Dr. Berkei's path to becoming a respected specialist for
plastic and aesthetic surgery.
Professional career
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Study of human medicine
University of Leipzig -
Doctorate (Dr. med.)
Clinic for Cardiac Surgery Leipzig -
Assistant doctor in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
St. Georg Hospital Leipzig - Specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery since 2004
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Since 2004 establishment of several practices for plastic and aesthetic surgery
Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main
- Rhinoplasty (nose correction)
- Revision rhinoplasty (nose correction)
- Breast surgery
- Intimate surgery
Having performed more than 36,000 treatments, Dr. Berkei is one of the most experienced plastic and aesthetic surgeons in Europe. Dr. Berkei enjoys a particularly high international reputation in the field of rhinoplasty (nose corrections), having performed more than 8,000 rhinoplasties. She has specialized in particular in the art of rhinoplasty and complex revision rhinoplasty and has perfected her work with her “Nose by Berkei” technique, which she has developed over many years.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Berkei and her team have built up a small but very exquisite luxury boutique practice in Frankfurt am Main. She offers individual treatment concepts for plastic and aesthetic surgery on the entire body with extensive experience. Her claim to offer each individual patient the best and most beautiful result for them is supported by the entire team as a philosophy and is the reason for the excellent reputation of the practice of Dr. Berkei and her colleagues.
She provides detailled information on social media and reports in a serious way on treatment procedures. This way she does an important job for informing patients before and after an operation.
Dr. Berkei has developed the B Safe treatment concept. This is a specific system of safety measures that are applied to patients throughout their treatment. She has thus achieved a revision rate of less than 1% in her patient spectrum. This means a high level of safety, excellent results, safe treatments and a high degree of success in terms of the expected healing process.
Dr. Berkei constantly broadened her horizons through numerous stays in countries such as Great Britain, the USA, Brazil and India and learned from internationally renowned specialists and surgeons. Dr. Berkei is also a member of various professional associations such as the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (DGPRÄC), the Rhinoplasty Society of Europe (RSE) and the European Association of Facial Plastic Surgeons (EAFPS).
As a founding member of the aid organization Medical Intervention Team e.V., Dr. Berkei organized numerous aid missions in Myanmar between 2009 and 2017, during which she operated on children with cleft lip and palate free of charge. In addition, she has already appeared in various online and print media and provides information on plastic and aesthetic surgery topics in reports, documentaries and on her social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Imprinting in childhood.
Without a doubt, the political situation in which I grew up was formative. In principle, I grew up very sheltered in a small suburb of Berlin. I grew up in my mother’s studio (a glass restorer of church windows) between stained glass, antique art and muffle furnaces and next to my father’s drawing board, who was a lighting architect and illuminated museums. We lived isolated within the socialist state like in a small oasis.
In the studio, you were surrounded by a creative abundance of colors, glass patterns and the scent of gum arabic. I spent my whole youth drawing and sculpting in my spare time. I attended a painting course in Köpenick for years, where I was able to experiment and create with painting and fine art techniques. But as the only child, I had to help out with everything: gardening, housework and cooking were quite normal back then. But my greatest longing was to be able to travel. To see the whole world. To live in freedom.
The path to freedom.
October 9th, 1989: Demonstrations in Leipzig for freedom and democracy put students at great risk of losing their place at university. I studied medicine at the University of Leipzig. At the time of the Leipzig demonstrations, I worked at night alongside my studies in the psychiatry clinic at my university. The situation was volatile. Blood reserves and gyms for large numbers of injured people were already kept ready at the university.
Despite the risk, I had to take to the streets and demonstrate with my like-minded friends. What began with Monday prayers in St. Nicholas Church grew into a far-reaching peaceful protest on the streets. I wanted to live in freedom, be able to travel, speak my mind publicly without danger.
After all, we contributed to the “turning point” in GDR history. I am still touched when I think back to it. The demos will stay with me forever. An atmosphere that can hardly be described in retrospect. We were very afraid, but at the same time we had the courage to take to the streets for freedom of expression. With success!
First stop: UK.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was able to satisfy my longing to travel for the first time. I was able to arrange to spend my entire final year abroad. This enabled me to finally pursue my interest and get to know other cultures, countries and people.
So I started my PJ in London, UK at the Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital under Prof. Toni Bull. As if by chance, I was allowed to accompany a one-week nasal surgery congress at the time, in which the techniques of rhinoplasty were explained to patients in the operating theater. I was very impressed by the complex anatomy of the inner and outer nose and the positive effect of rhinoplasty on facial proportions.
At that time, I tried to understand the highly complex surgical techniques as well as possible – the supreme discipline of plastic and aesthetic surgery. Without realizing it, my learning curve on this topic began back then and it has been with me and inspiring me ever since.
The Indian adventure.
India was a great, beautiful but also enlightening adventure for me. I spent three months of my PJ in Hyderabad. I still remember many events from that time very well. I was particularly impressed by the high level of knowledge of the doctors. Most of them spoke 4-6 languages and had a high learning discipline. Hospitality is very important in Indian culture. I was warmly welcomed by many families.
India is known for its shocking contrasts. I personally experienced the entire cross-section of society. In the countryside, I supported a British malaria project. I was shocked by the suffering of so many sick children and felt a strong need to do something about it.
Harvard: Lifelong inspiration.
My stay in Boston had the biggest impact on me. The Massachusetts General Hospital, Division of Plastic Surgery, hosted several meetings, teachings and lectures during the day. This gave us an immense input of medical knowledge. It began in the morning over coffee with a Q&A session with Professor Jim May, in the operating room with Prof. Michael Yaremchuk, a gifted facial plastic surgeon, and ended at night in the library with young and inquisitive specialists. Back then I learned that you can get by with just 5 hours of sleep at night. I made lifelong friendships with colleagues that continue to this day.
Further stays abroad took place in: Hong Kong (Prince of Wales Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery), Houston/USA (Baylor College of Medicine), South Carolina (Dr. Toni Bull), Hawaii (Dr. Bob Flowers) and Boston/USA (Massachusetts General Hospital: Department of Plastic Surgery).
Specialist training & practice.
My specialist training began at the Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the St. Georg Hospital in Leipzig under the medical direction of PD Dr. Michael Steen. My training focused on reconstructive plastic surgery, the treatment of severe burns and hand surgery.
I finally completed my training at Dr. Hecker’s plastic surgery practice in Langen near Frankfurt. During this time, I learned about aesthetic surgery as well as the legal, tax and marketing aspects of running my own practice.
After completing of specialist training in 2002 I set up the plastic surgery department in Leipzig with Dr. Nuwayhid. I founded my first practice in April 2004 in Frankfurt am Main at Goetheplatz. This focused on facelifts, breast surgery and liposuction.
Development into a rhinoplasty surgeon.
As early as 2002, I began performing functional and aesthetic as well as reconstructive nose operations on a regular basis. I was particularly fascinated by this so-called “king surgery” because it is important for patients in many respects: being able to breathe better, looking more beautiful, having fewer complexes and possibly looking younger. In 2002, I flew to Chicago for the Nasal Surgery Congress and Dissection Course.
One month later, I started performing nose operations myself. Many other congresses followed in Dallas, New York, Bergamo, Paris and Stuttgart. I use every vacation in Brazil, the USA and Italy to learn from famous colleagues. My role models and teachers were, among others: Prof. Enrico Robotti, Italy, Prof. Wolfgang Gubisch, Germany, Dr. Rolin Daniel, USA. I have since become an expert in complicated revision rhinoplasty and primary rhinoplasty.
Charity for children in Myanmar.
My heart project.
I could write books about Myanmar: a beautiful country with loving, grateful people. I will always remember our many years of regular aid missions with the Medical Intervention Team in Mandalay at Sitagu Ayudana Hospital in Sagain Hills as very valuable. What counts: Our team operated on more than 500 children with cleft lip and palate and severe burn scars free of charge between 2008 and 2017. I essentially organized the entire structure, the charity evenings, the marketing, the travel procedures, the surgical checklists, a large part of the relief supplies and standards for the children’s treatment plans. My entire practice team was involved in the preparations for a trip throughout the year. We actually stored an entire operating theater in transport crates in the basement of our practice. On one of the trips, we had 1 ton of relief supplies with us on the plane. This requires special assistance from Thai Airways at the airport. I am very grateful to the team, all the helpers and my patients who have supported us for years for their great commitment.
Passing on knowledge.
My second and current practice, which I founded in 2013 in the middle of Goethestrasse in the heart of Frankfurt, gave me the opportunity to design the new practice and logistics completely myself, to broaden my team and to expand it significantly. I was authorized to train young doctors to become specialists in plastic and aesthetic surgery for 18 months.
I personally enjoy training young colleagues in plastic surgery techniques as well as passing on the legal, tax and marketing aspects. In most cases, they can create a lot from my experience if they are interested in keeping up with my pace and learning the ins and outs of the multi-faceted work of a practicing plastic surgeon. It is important that we pass on our knowledge and constantly work to educate ourselves and others.
Family - the one and only.
During my residency, my daughter Livia was born in Boston. I have wonderful memories of this wonderful time. As a surgeon and mother of a daughter, you unfortunately always have the accompanying guilty conscience of never doing justice to your child. I was very lucky.
Livia was always a particularly humorous, loving, understanding and independent daughter. She is a great support wherever I ask her for help. My daughter accompanied me to the aid project in Myanmar when she was 14 and volunteered to stand in the operating theater and help until late at night.
In retrospect, this time influenced her so much that she is now studying medicine. It is important to me that she is happy and of course I am very much looking forward to perhaps one day being able to pass on my knowledge to her.
A look into the future.
I have experienced a lot in the last few years and have received training and inspiration from many colleagues around the world. This enabled me to constantly develop my own treatment concepts and surgical strategies and techniques.
We are currently moving rapidly into the digital age. In this context, I think it is particularly important to share this knowledge and constantly pass it on to young colleagues. It is particularly important to systematically expand plastic surgery training online and make it accessible to doctors worldwide. Training to become a nasal surgeon is very complex and is characterized by years of intensive training.
In addition to training future doctors, I would also like to expand my knowledge of skin aging processes and wound healing in the form of a special skincare line. What matters here is the purity of the active ingredients and the coordinated treatment rituals. In the future, we will also work more digitally as doctors and offer advice and analyzes internationally. The well-functioning digital practice and the digital operating theater are not far away.
Exclusive insights.
On Instagram, Dr. Berkei provides information about interventions and
shares stories from patients.
Berkei Experience.
I look forward to welcoming you to our practice for plastic and aesthetic surgery and to helping you achieve a new way of life with methods that have been perfected over many years.
