Elizabeth Whitaker, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Top Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Elizabeth Whitaker, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Top Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Upon meeting Dr. Elizabeth Whitaker, many of her clients say they feel like they’re having a conversation with a trusted friend. As a highly trained, double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon who has performed over 5,000 facelifts and thousands of other facial procedures, she strives to help her patients feel at ease from their initial consultation to celebrating their final results. Her desire to help people with her special surgical talents even began to take shape at a young age.
Dr. Elizabeth was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and raised in the nearby small town of Roanoke Rapids. After attending school through her sophomore year of high school, she found herself yearning for more of an academic challenge. That can be attributed to the fact that she knew even in middle school that her career compass was pointed in a medical direction.
“It’s just something that I was attracted to early on,” Dr. Elizabeth remembers. “Medicine and helping people in that way just struck a chord with me. I’ve always felt it was a calling.”
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Her unwavering fascination with science led her to apply to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), a prestigious institution for students gifted in those areas of study. Attending NCSSM for her final two years of high school was like having a college workload early on. But she reveled in the challenge as well as being around other like-minded students. It also offered the value of helping the transition to college be a much easier one.
While attending Davidson College due to its acclaimed pre-med program, Dr. Elizabeth was heavily influenced by a dynamic neuroscience professor who helped to further steer her medically focused course. But it was her first surgery rotation at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina that her love for surgery was truly awakened.
Through her rotations, head and neck surgery became the focus. It’s also where her destined plastic surgery route first came into play.
“What I realized was that I found the anatomy of the head and neck the most fascinating. It’s so detailed,” Dr. Elizabeth said. “That’s what led me to go in that specialized direction. I also knew from that point that I wanted to do plastics.”
Dr. Elizabeth completed her head and neck surgery residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, where her draw toward facial plastic surgery was cemented.
LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS
- Top Doctor by Castle Connolly for over 20 years in a row
- Best Facial Plastic Surgeon by Modern Luxury—Best of Atlanta
- Best Facelift by Modern Luxury—Best of Atlanta
- Best Anti-Aging Doctor by Jezebel Magazine—Best of Atlanta
- Best Facial Plastic Surgeon by Jezebel Magazine—Best of Atlanta
- Best Plastic Surgeon for Face by Best Self—Best of Atlanta
- Exceptional Women in Medicine by Castle Connolly
- Top Doctors Magazine —Top Facial Plastic Surgeon in Georgia
- 10 Best Plastic Surgeons by the American Institute of Plastic Surgeons (multiple years)
- Best Plastic Surgeon – Face by My Buckhead
- Atlanta’s Premier Health & Aesthetics Professionals by Best Self
- Atlanta Who’s Who
- Best Facelift by The Atlantan Magazine’s annual “Best of the City” edition
- Top Doctor by Atlanta Magazine (For over 20 Years)
- Best Plastic Surgeon – Face My Vinings/Smyrna
- Best Plastic Surgery for the Face, Best of Best Self
She went on to complete her fellowship training in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Tulane University of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana under the direction of Calvin Johnson, Jr., M.D., a pioneer of open rhinoplasty as well as an early proponent of deep plane facelifts. Dr. Elizabeth became part of the faculty at Tulane and supervised all residents performing facial plastic surgery cases as part of her fellowship as well as managing Dr. Johnson’s patients.
“That experience was an affirmation that facial plastic surgery was my niche,” she said. “What I wanted was to help people with how they feel about themselves overall. It was deeply gratifying seeing all that firsthand.”
Dr. Elizabeth also completed her double board certifications in head and neck surgery and facial plastic surgery during that fulfilling year. Her first job out of fellowship was in academics at the Medical College of Georgia where she was offered the position of Chief of Facial Plastics. She enjoyed supervising all residents and sharing her knowledge through training and lectures. She also remains a Clinical Assistant Professor at Medical College of Georgia to this day.
After a couple of years, she moved back to Atlanta to work in a group private practice as the facial plastic surgeon. Ultimately, however, this led to Dr. Elizabeth eventually starting her own practice.
“I was presented with a ‘now or never’ opportunity, and I just had to take a leap of faith. Needless to say, I’m so glad I did,” she said.
Thus, Atlanta Face & Body was born through Dr. Elizabeth’s desire to provide her patients with the best possible aesthetic experiences.
“My goal in starting the practice was to have a place where people could have all their aesthetic needs met at one location,” she said. “I invested a lot in state-of-the-art technology all for the noninvasive treatments that both complement for maintenance as well as serve as treatments for people prior to considering surgical options. And our AAAHC-accredited Office Based Surgery Center was designed to accommodate all facial cosmetic surgery needs.”
When surgery is warranted, Dr. Elizabeth focuses on producing natural-looking results. The goal is to help patients look more refreshed and rejuvenated rather than like a different person.
“People are very concerned about looking natural and not wanting to look artificial,” she said. “I reassure them that that’s a goal I share with them.”
For Dr. Elizabeth, establishing a trusting relationship with her patients is just as important as giving them the aesthetic results they crave.
“I think it’s very important that you approach it as you and the patient are teamed up to accomplish their goals,” she said. “Going through surgery and recovery can be a little bit of an emotional event. So, it’s important to have that trust that they know I’m on their side and that I am going to be with them through every step of the process.”
Other than the obvious physical changes that come about, Dr. Elizabeth also delights in the deeper changes that result on more of an emotional level.
“It’s very gratifying because you see the excitement about how they look. You can just see where they kind of radiate this confidence that they were missing before.”
Dr. Elizabeth emphasizes that Atlanta Face & Body is an inclusive place for people of all walks of life, races, genders, and, of course, any stage of the aging process.
“We recognize that there’s an interest in aesthetics from the self-care perspective of a younger age group all the way to the rejuvenative perspective of someone who’s older,” she said. “Atlanta Face & Body is staged with noninvasive to surgical offerings to embrace all those groups and truly be able to provide lifetime aesthetic care for our patients.”
Aside from a literal library of positive physical transformations, Dr. Elizabeth is excited about incorporating more wellness offerings, such as medically supervised weight loss.
“I’m looking forward to the next evolution of the practice, which is really embracing wellness,” she said. “We’re looking at not only the more transformative treatments that we have available but also treatments that can help our patients with their underlying health as well.”
When Dr. Elizabeth isn’t lending her remarkable surgical talents to improving the lives of her patients, she enjoys spending time with her daughter as well as a cherished core group of friends.
SPECIALTY
- Facial Plastic Surgery
BOARD CERTIFICATION
- American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- American Board of Otolaryngology
MEDICAL LICENSURE
- Georgia
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons (2002)
- Fellow, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2002)
- Fellow, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (1999)
HONORS & AWARDS
- The American Medical Women’s Award, Duke
University School of Medicine, Durham, NC - Magna Cum Laude, Davidson College
- Phi Beta Kappa, Davidson College
- Alpha Epsilon Delta National Premedical Honor Society,
Davidson College - North Carolina Fellows, Davidson College
- National Merit Scholarship Finalist
- North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
APPOINTMENTS
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery Division, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Georgia (2002 to present) - Chief, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division, and Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Georgia (2000 – 2002)
- Chief, Otolaryngology Section, Department of Surgery, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Marietta, GA (2005 – 2007)
ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
- Board Member, Cobb County Medical Society, Present
- Guest Examiner, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, Maintenance of Certification Examination, June 2007 - Guest Examiner, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, Oral Board Examination, June 2005 – 2008 - Member, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Written Examination Development Group, 2006 – 2016
- Member, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Oral Examination Development Group, 2006 – 2016
