From Needles to Natural Glow: Meet Dr. Julia Milman Aesthetic Medicine

Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community, Northbrook mom of three, and board-certified physician and founder of Dr. Julia Milman Aesthetic Medicine, Dr. Julia Milman!

Dr. Julia Milman’s 12th birthday looked very different from most of ours. On this day, her family emigrated from Kyiv, Ukraine, to the United States, Chicago specifically. Today, the board-certified physician has planted her own roots in Northbrook with a doting husband, three great kids, and a successful aesthetic medicine practice that offers a listening ear, heartfelt relationships, community support, and… great results! Her drive is a keen dedication to enhancing natural beauty and confidence through personalized, results-driven treatments via her “Be beautiful, be confident, be you.” philosophy.

Beyond Dr. Julia’s expertise in aesthetics, she is passionate about education, transparency, and building a supportive community where women uplift one another, not to mention her witty sense of humor that you’ll see in our interview below! Get to know Dr. Julia, her family’s story, educational background, favorite hobbies that involve needles of a different kind, a few sushi restaurant favorites, and, of course, aesthetic medicine 101. Welcome, Dr. Julia!

 

 

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Hi Dr. Julia. Please introduce yourself. Tell us about your unique background. 

I’m Julia Milman, a board-certified physician and the owner and medical director of Dr. Julia Milman’s Aesthetic Medicine. I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and immigrated with my parents to the United States on my 12th birthday. I stayed in Chicago for all of my education: earning my bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in French from Loyola University, completing a master’s program at UIC, attending Rush Medical School, and finishing residency in anesthesiology at Northwestern in 2009.

 

What city do you live in now? What brought you here?

I was offered a fellowship at the University of Chicago, which almost rounded out all the major institutions in the Chicagoland area, but I declined. By my third year of residency I had my first child, and I was ready to begin my life and career. I couldn’t imagine commuting to U of C every day for another year with a newborn at home.

I’ve really never left the Chicagoland area as my parents wouldn’t let me go away to college. They always said, “We dragged you halfway across the world, we can’t let you leave again.” At the time I didn’t appreciate it, but now I love it. That decision kept me close to our family and friends, and our immigrant community from that time is still very close-knit.

That’s how I ended up in Northbrook. Most of our family and friends are here, and I truly love the bubble and the community. It’s an honor and privilege to raise my family here and to serve this community through my practice.

 

Tell us about your beautiful family.

Dan and I have three kids, and they keep life pretty entertaining. Our oldest is 25 and officially a full-grown adult. He was also my easiest to raise, probably because I didn’t give birth to him. I met him when he was already an amazing eight-year-old, and I make sure to mention that in a toast at every one of his birthdays.

We also have two teenage girls, 14 and 16, which means we live in the world of eye rolls so big I sometimes wonder how their eyes don’t get stuck behind their heads. I absolutely love when they hang out together and create their own inside jokes. The younger one is a dedicated tennis player, the older one plays volleyball, and now that they are both in the same high school, they carpool together, usually with a Starbucks stop at least once a week, though I suspect it is more often.

 

 

All three kids inherited Dan’s sense of humor, which makes family dinners hilarious. There is never a dull moment in our house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

What are one or two fun or interesting things to know about you?

I absolutely love to travel, and honestly there isn’t a place in this beautiful world that I don’t want to see. Dan and I joke that we have a bachelor’s degree in the airline points game and we are working on our master’s, although it keeps getting more and more complicated. A lot of the time we actually pick where we are going based on where we can find flights with points. We are also trying to instill that same travel bug into our kids.

 

 

Outside of traveling, I love to ski and read, and wait for it………… knit! Maybe that’s the real origin of my love of needles. I actually learned how to knit back when I was a little girl in Kyiv, and my doll was the best dressed on the block. I honestly haven’t knitted in looooong while now though , as honestly, who has time?

 

What are your favorite North Shore places, spaces and eats to frequent with family, date night, hang out, etc.?

We are a sushi loving family. When we order takeout, it’s mostly from Tsucasa as they have the best spicy scallop rolls around. Family night out is usually at Blufish and the last time we went on date night, we went to Ari Sushi in Des Plaines. Highly, highly recommend for those who are looking for the freshest fish and very upscale presentation, though the inside of the restaurant is very casual. Think downtown quality sushi, but in the burbs.

 

Thank you for the sushi recs! Any good reads or tv shows you’ve binged lately?

When Crickets Cry by Martin Charles; This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel; People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

I sleep through all TV shows, but recently binged Younger which isn’t new, but so light and adorable. Although that ending…..

 

Agreed, that ending… Dr. Julia, in your line of work I’m sure your clients pour their souls out to you. That said, do you have a mantra that you live by?

“Be beautiful, be confident, be you.” That’s my mantra, both professionally and personally.

In my work, it means helping patients look natural and feel confident in their own skin. In my personal life, it’s a reminder to show up authentically, embrace who I am, and set that example for my kids.

 

It’s time to get down to business. Please introduce Dr. Julia Milman Aesthetic Medicine. When did you start this business, when did you open your doors?

I’ve really been injecting for ages and ages, but the business itself first came together in 2018. Back then, (and actually all our current business paperwork) it was called “Aviomi”,which is actually a combination word of our daughters’ names. I still love the way it sounds, but we couldn’t use it publicly because, of all things, there’s a beauty salon not too far from here with almost the exact same name. What are the odds, right? So now we go by the very unique and fancy name “Dr. Julia Milman’s Aesthetic Medicine.”

 

Dr. Julia with husband, Dan (practice manager), and her amazing staff.

Where you always in that space in Northbrook?

I started out in an office in Lake Forest, and then we moved to Northbrook to be closer to home and to make it easier for most of our patients to get to us. And to those of you who drive in from far away, I see you, and I appreciate you more than you know.

We’ve now been in our current space for about a year and a half, and since it took years (and just a few arguments with Dan) to build, I like to call this our “forever home.”

 

Dr. Julia and husband / practice manager, Dan!

What’s a great service to try if you’re new to the med spa space?

If you’re new to the med spa world, I always recommend starting with a Diamond Glow facial. Glowing skin doesn’t have to be complicated, and honestly, clean skin goes a really long way toward that healthy glow everyone wants.

This isn’t a day-spa type of facial where you’re getting an hour-long massage. We’re a medical office, so everything we do has a medical purpose. In this case, it’s like giving your skin a deep vacuum, clearing out all the buildup so your skin can really shine.

If you want to see more about it, we actually have a bunch of highlights saved on our Instagram, and the “Glow Facials” highlight has tons of videos and extra info.

 

When’s the best age to start relaxers like Botox?

I always say the best wrinkle is the one you never get. That’s why I’m such a believer in preventative Botox. Starting early means those lines never get the chance to set in. And the nice thing is, when you start early, you need way less product. We’re always conservative with dosing, but even more so when it’s preventative. Honestly, it’s a lot cheaper and easier to keep wrinkles from showing up than it is to chase them once they’re already there.

 

What’s the difference between relaxers like Botox and lasers?

I like to say Botox is like hitting the pause button on the muscles that make wrinkles. It keeps those frown lines and crow’s feet from etching in deeper. Lasers are totally different as they work on the skin itself, like giving it a polish or a fresh coat of paint. They target things like sun damage, pigment, redness, and texture.

So Botox controls the movement, and lasers improve the skin. They do very different jobs, but together, for the right patient, they’re kind of the dream team.

 

 

The above before and after photos are a great example of what Botox and filler can achieve. This was filler and Botox carefully achieved over multiple appointments over a three year period to achieve full facial balancing. Areas that were injected were her temples, chin, chin shadows, pre-jowls, cheeks, preauricular (area in front of her ears).

 

And those fillers we hear so much about… can you give us an example of how that is used?

This lovely patient was always self conscious about her profile until we met. These pictures were taken about a year apart as I built up her chin slowly and carefully over three appointments, and there is some lip filler in there as well.

 

 

If you had to choose only 3 skincare products for our tired mamas, what would they be?

Tired mamas don’t have time for a 12-step routine, so here are my three power products: tinted sunscreen, an antioxidant, and a great moisturizer.

Tinted sunscreen is a lifesaver. My favorite is the physical sunscreen from Epionce. It evens out all those little imperfections we all have while giving excellent sun protection. Then you need an antioxidant, like CE Ferulic or Phloretin from Skinceuticals. Sunscreen plus an antioxidant is the ultimate power duo—they do all the heavy lifting for your skin health and glow.

And then there’s moisturizer. Triple Lipid, also from Skinceuticals, is my absolute favorite. I always joke that I want to bathe in it. I use it year-round because I’m constantly on retinoids, which means my skin is always thirsty. And if I could sneak in a fourth, you guessed it, it would be a retinoid.

The best part? To make it even easier, we provide complimentary same-day local delivery of all skincare. So really, it’s three steps, glow guaranteed, and you don’t even have to leave your house.

 

Tell me about that amazing melasma bootcamp!

Ah, our melasma bootcamp! Melasma is one of the most stubborn and, honestly, annoying skin conditions. It waxes and wanes, and so often gets worse in the summer just from heat alone. You can apply all the sunscreen in the world, but it still likes to sneak through.

That’s why we designed a structured “bootcamp” approach instead of promising a quick fix. In-office treatments like lasers and medical-grade facials are combined with a strict at-home routine to really target pigment. We even track progress with our Visia skin analysis so patients can actually see the changes happening layer by layer.

And I always say, think of it like bootcamp: you don’t get abs from one workout, and you won’t beat melasma with just one facial. But with consistency, the results are dramatic and life-changing. It’s all about teamwork between us and the patient, and the payoff is absolutely worth it.

 

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or your practice?

Yes! What really sets us apart is that we don’t have cookie-cutter or predetermined treatment plans. Everyone is unique, and we always base treatments on your anatomy, your concerns, and your goals. There’s also never any pressure here. My philosophy is “less is more,” and I want you to feel comfortable and confident in your choices.

But honestly, what makes our office special is the relationships. We don’t just want to know about your skin. We want to know if your daughter made the tennis team, if you liked that restaurant I recommended, or where you’re headed on your next vacation. We love celebrating the big and small life moments right alongside you, and I always encourage my patients to update me with everything.

And we love being involved in our community. Please let us know if we can ever participate in your events, we help sponsor raffles all the time. For us, it’s about more than aesthetics. It’s about confidence, connection, and community.

 

From left to right: Dr. Julia, Ellie Ander, Leslie Randolph

 

What are your contact details?

☎️ (224) 282-2964
📍 3071 Dundee rd., Northbrook IL
💻 www.drjuliamilman.com
drjuliamilman – Online Booking – Services
Instagram: @dr.julia.milman. DMs welcome

BE beautiful
BE confident
BE you

 

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