Training narrowed by design
Dr. Karlin's path is deliberately specialized. After completing medical school and a master's degree, he trained as an ophthalmologist — a physician and surgeon of the eye — and then completed subspecialty fellowship training in oculofacial (oculoplastic) plastic and reconstructive surgery. This is the discipline devoted to aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the eyelids, face, brow, and orbit — the small, intricate region where a millimeter changes how a face reads.
That focus is the point. Because the eye is both an organ of sight and the center of facial expression, surgery here demands an ophthalmologist's regard for function alongside a plastic surgeon's regard for form. Dr. Karlin holds both.
Board certification & credentials
Dr. Karlin is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) and is an ASOPRS-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon — ASOPRS being the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the body that sets the subspecialty standard for surgery around the eyes. Both credentials are independently verifiable below.
Academic appointment & teaching
He serves as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at UCLA's Stein & Doheny Eye Institutes, where he treats patients and trains residents and fellows. He is also Co-Chair and Laboratory Director of the UCLA Aesthetic Eyelid & Facial Rejuvenation Masters Course — a national course where practicing surgeons learn the eyelid and facial techniques he uses in his own operating room. Functional and reconstructive eyelid surgery covered by commercial insurance is offered through Dr. Karlin’s UCLA practice; this Beverly Hills office is private and devoted to aesthetic care.
Anatomy first, restraint always, identity preserved.
Research & scholarship
Dr. Karlin has authored or co-authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications in the oculofacial and ophthalmology literature, and holds patents as a named inventor for innovations in the field. A complete, individually-linked list of his publications and patents is maintained on the research page — the kind of primary-source record that lets both patients and search engines trace his authority directly.
Innovation
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Karlin is the founder and CEO of OcuSera, reflecting an ongoing interest in advancing the tools and science of regenerative medicine. This combination — surgeon, educator, author, inventor, and founder — is unusual, and it shapes a practice built on evidence rather than trend.
A philosophy of restraint
The objective of every operation is a rested eye, not an altered one. The smallest correction that holds is the right one; movement and identity are protected so the face still reads as yours. Patients are told plainly what is realistic, what is not worth doing, and what should be left alone.