When you have a calling to do something, you find a way or the way finds you. That’s how board-certified physician Dr. Amela Hozic found herself with a thriving private practice in Walnut Creek: Éllevi Medical Center for Aesthetics.
“I have wanted to help people since I was 6 years old,” says Hozic. “I never thought about being anything other than a doctor, helping people on the inside and outside.”
Originally a family medicine physician, her aesthetics and longevity medicine practice focuses on overall health and improving the quality and length of life.
Our conversation begins with peptides. I’m thinking of the collagen peptides I add to my coffee and the growth serum I hope will help elongate my eyelashes. She’s talking about injectable peptides for health reasons, like gaining muscle and burning fat.
“Systemic peptides can help repair tissues, burn fat, reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, and help sleep,” she continues. “Peptides are one tool in my longevity medicine toolbox.”
While her Instagram profile lists Hozic as a “Bay Area injector,” she has been a physician since 2015.
She moved to the Bay Area after the heat in Arizona prompted her to relocate, and she began working at a teaching hospital as a family medicine doctor.
While in Arizona, she developed an interest in injectables, personally and professionally. After seeing obvious and unattractive filler results in Arizona, she knew “there had to be a way to achieve better results.”
She sought out extensive training in Los Angeles and beyond, investing time and money, and attending conferences and one-on-one lessons with the best.
Her goal was to learn how to provide the most natural, undetectable results.
Her clients looked “refreshed and more confident,” and friends told their friends about her. She opened her own clinic in 2024.
Hozic’s secret sauce has two ingredients: technique and a global approach.
“I focus on skin health first and injectables second,” she says. “I make sure to not just treat one area; I want to make sure to treat the whole face as appropriate.”
Regenerative skin treatments are au courant.
For example, microneedling injects brightening ingredients or peptides. Her consultations are unique in that they focus on overall health, including lifestyle recommendations –a holistic approach to beauty.
It’s a more elevated experience at Éllevi.
“We’re results-driven and results take time,” says Hozic. “I remind my clients this is a journey, not a destination.”
Hozic’s “whole face” approach also applies to her longevity medicine practice, where she looks at lifestyle factors when integrating proactive medicine.
She doesn’t believe in simply putting Band-Aids on issues.
“The goal is to add more years to life, but also health to years,” says Hozic, whose passion is focused on identifying root causes and reducing the likelihood of future disease.
“You want to optimize the decades you have left,” she tells me. “What we do now influences our 60s and 70s.”
For example, advanced diagnostics can check biomarkers that can identify risk before the disease manifests.
You can integrate lifestyle changes now, starting with nutrition, sleep, and exercise - with a focus on strength training to preserve or build muscle mass.
According to Hozic, there are three primary indicators of long-term health and longevity: muscle mass; grip strength, which correlates strongly with overall lifespan; and VO2 Max, a measure of cardiovascular fitness.
“Mindset is everything,” says Hozic. “We’re not just checking BMI. Think more about body recomposition over weight loss.”
Working with Hozic goes beyond what your doctor would test for. It’s taking charge of your health using evidence-based medicine.
Hozic’s longevity consultations are 60-90 minutes long and include initial lab work for $750. Aesthetics are concierge-style by appointment.
Visit: Ellevibeauty.com