Frequently Asked Questions

Alpine Plastic Surgery focuses on ensuring a safe and clean environment for our patients to help minimize the risk involved with our procedures. Our surgical facility volunteered to go through the most extensive certification in our industry and became the first plastic surgery center in Utah to receive Joint Commission accreditation. Joint Commission is an organization that accredits and certifies health care facilities across the United States through rigorous evaluation of certain performance standards with regards to patient safety, quality of care, quality of environment, etc. Accreditation is voluntary and proves our commitment to provide the highest quality care and safest environment to our patients.

We have our own accredited surgical facility located at our office adjacent to Ogden Regional Medical Center (ORMC). The anesthesiologist group from ORMC provides all our anesthesia services, ensuring the highest quality and safest care possible during and immediately after procedures.

Computer software exists that can morph a photograph of The Hunchback of Notre Dame into Christie Brinkley. Showing changes to a photograph does not and never will guarantee that it can actually be done with that exact result and can create unreal expectations. At Alpine Plastic Surgery we use actual before and after pictures from previous patients to demonstrate expected outcomes. We have hundreds of photographs available and can usually find something close to any patient’s anatomical condition to review for specific procedures they are interested in. Dr. Barnett also explains procedures in detail during your consult appointment so you will always know what to expect.
In general, insurance will not cover elective cosmetic procedures. Unless a procedure is deemed reconstructive or otherwise medically necessary, most procedures and treatments we provide are not covered by your insurance. Breast reconstruction after a history of cancer is the most common procedure that is generally covered by insurance. Breast reductions can be covered by insurance sometimes but it depends on each patients specific situation and their insurance companies requirements, which vary widely between all insurance companies. We can help determine if a procedure will be covered during a consult visit and then subsequent pre-authorization procedures if necessary. However, it is the patient’s ultimate responsibility to check with their insurance provider for information and understand the degree of coverage to be extended.
Abdominoplasty ( tummy tuck ) is performed to correct soft tissue and abdominal fascial laxity or looseness. Liposuction removes excess fat deposits and relies on natural skin elasticity to tighten overlying skin. Only a plastic surgeon who performs both procedures can give an experience based recommendation.
If you are unable to visit our office ahead of time, a phone consultation is usually the best way to begin your plans for surgery with Alpine Plastic Surgery. Our patient coordinator can walk you through the various stages of preparing for your initial visit and surgery. Photographs, which will remain confidential, can be sent via e-mail or regular mail for Dr. Barnett to review beforehand and give his initial recommendations. Final recommendations will be made at your in-office consult visit a day or two before surgery. We recommended staying in the immediate area for at least 24-48 hours after your surgery and coming to a post-op visit with Dr. Barnett before returning home.
Liposuction removes fat cells from the area that is treated. An ideal liposuction patient is a person who has small well defined “lumps” from local fat excess. It is not meant to replace weight loss.
Implant manufacturers state in product documentation that implants are not necessarily expected to last a lifetime and some women will need implant replacement or removal. This does not mean that every implant must be removed or replaced after a set period of time. Notwithstanding other complications, most surgeons recommend reevaluation after 10 years to determine if any conditions exist that may warrant implant removal or replacement.

Return to exercise times vary depending on your surgery. An abdominoplasty requires a break from exercise for at least 6 weeks. Breast augmentation recovery can vary depending on the implant. Textured implants require at least a 4 week break; and smooth implants, at least 2 weeks. Surgeries involving the arms and legs, such as brachioplasty and liposuction, allow for non-strenous activity after about 2 weeks; all activities can usually be resumed after 4-6 weeks.

Dr. Barnett is a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery; more information can be found at www.abplasticsurgery.org. Dr. Barnett opened his private practice in 1994 and performs hundreds of procedures every year including both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. Dr. Barnett is also a prominent hand surgeon in our area.

Payment for cosmetic procedures is generally due a week before surgery. We accept cash. cashier checks, and all major credit cards. We also partner with Care Credit and Prosper Healthcare Lending. Our staff is happy to talk to you about their different financing options with monthly payment plans and how to apply. Options available from Care Credit include up to 18 month payment plans with no interest, making the procedure you want very affordable! Apply Here! We also offer a cash discount for payment with cash or cashier check.

Gummy bear implants are fixed-form highly cohesive silicone gel implants meant to keep the same shape. They are also know as shaped implants and have an anatomic (tear- drop) shape rather than a round shape. This gives better control of how an augmented breast is shaped. This is important in patients that have a smaller cup size to begin with because the shape of the implant can be very apparent in these patients.

Another aspect of the gummy bear implant is that they are all textured. Texturing allows an adhesion to form between the breast implant and the surrounding tissue. The adhesion prevents implant rotation and dislocation, effectively gluing it into position. This adhesion is obviously necessary for shaped implants as a rotated or upside-down teardrop implant would look very deformed. The adhesion has the additional benefit of preventing the bottoming out appearance seen with smooth-walled round implants in some patients.

Saline implants are silicone bags filled with water. This gives a more unnatural feel to saline implants and makes rippling and other “bag irregularities” more apparent. Saline implants deflate in approximately 5% of patients augmented with this type of implant. Although the manufacturer’s warranty will replace a deflated implant and cover most costs involved with replacement, a one-sided implant replacement can result in asymmetries and potentially additional surgeries. (See our revision surgery section for details).

Dr. Barnett uses silicone breast implants in over 90% of his breast enhancement surgeries. Silicone implants are made up of a cohesive gel interior with either a smooth or textured outer shell. They are softer and create a more natural-like feel than saline implants. Both silicone and saline implants are FDA approved for breast augmentation. There are no health reasons to choose one implant over the other.

A capsulectomy is the removal of a tissue capsule that forms naturally around all implants over time. If implants are being removed or replaced, the existing capsule needs to be removed so that a new capsule can form around the new implant. This helps prevent future capsular contracture and bottoming out of the implant as time goes by. If new implants are not placed, not removing the existing capsule creates a slippery tissue interface that leads to sagging of the resulting smaller breast. A capsulectomy is therefore necessary when implants are being removed and/or replaced or when there is a capsular contracture, in which case the tissue capsule has become harder and possibly tighter than normal, causing the breast to look or feel different.

A breast lift (mastopexy) moves the nipple-areola on the breast mound. Only skin is removed and the breast is uplifted but the overall shape of the breast is unchanged. A breast lift can be done either as a circumareolar (around the areola) lift or an inverted “T” lift (skin is removed from bottom of the breast). A breast reduction is when breast tissue is removed from the inner, outer, and upper central breast to reduce the actual size of the breast. Skin is also removed from the bottom of the breast using the inverted “T” method as well. If you are not sure which procedure you actually want or need, a determination can easily be made during a consult with Dr. Barnett.

Many different tools are available to suction fat. There is no single device that provides any benefit over any other device. The important variable is the person operating the device. Dr. Barnett has used ultrasound and laser devices and at present he uses a power assisted liposuction device.

Our surgeries are performed in our own Medicare certified, Joint Commission accredited ambulatory surgical center, Alpine Surgical Center. It is located right next to our office suite in the Medical Arts Building, adjacent to Ogden Regional Medical Center.

The majority of surgical procedures performed are done under general anesthesia monitored by a qualified anesthesiologist. Some minor revision or repair procedures can be done with simple sedation and/or local anesthetic, as determined by the doctor. Everyone has heard stories about simple procedures resulting in disaster. Studies have shown that safety can be improved by having a board certified anesthesiologist responsible for anesthesia. Alpine Plastic Surgery relies on the services and expertise of the anesthesiologist group from Ogden Regional Medical Center for our surgical procedures.

Call Now Text Us