About Doctor Barnett
Conveniently located to serve San Francisco, Walnut Creek, and the Bay Area, SF
Art and Science are my passions. To this day I remain thankful that I was able to find plastic surgery, a discipline and life’s work that combines both.
-Andrew Barnett, MD
Dr. Barnett completed his undergraduate work at Yale University in two years, majoring in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics, with a minor in fine art. He attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine on a full scholarship by the National Institutes of Health through the prestigious Medical Scientist Training Program. This program is competitively awarded to medical students with proven ability in medical research. Dr. Barnett worked in the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Nathans, who won the Nobel Prize in 1978. During his time at Hopkins, he published articles and lectured at national scientific conferences. He also continued his interest in art, painting, sculpture, and lecturing on anatomy at the Maryland Institute of Art.
For more of Dr. Barnett’s artwork, Click Here. Dr. Barnett trained in Plastic Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center. His initial research work dealt with blood vessel tumors in children. In 1981, he received a quarter million dollar grant from 3M Corporation for the development and clinical testing of new dressing which was initially used in burn victims, dramatically reducing pain and accelerating healing. When the product was introduced, Dr. Barnett received national press coverage, and published numerous scientific articles on wound healing. He was asked to serve on the Expert’s Panel of the American Burn Association, and received his first plastic surgery award. The dressing, called Tegaderm, is in widespread use to this day. While at Stanford, Dr. Barnett became involved with Interplast, a non-profit organization of medical professionals who donate time to provide free reconstructive surgery in third world countries. He has been on trips lasting from one to six weeks in Mexico, Central, and South America, operating primarily on children with congenital deformities and burn injuries. An active supporter to this day, he has written about his experiences, which have been chronicled in both Reader’s Digest and World Book Encyclopedia.
Dr. Barnett has been involved with Interplast since 1978. Over the years, many of the experiences have touched him deeply. This photo is of two young boys from San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Dr. Barnett left Stanford for a full year to travel world-wide, studying the latest developments in his profession. He concentrated on cosmetic surgery, spending from two weeks to three months in different locations, working directly with the leaders and originators of the new techniques in facelift and eyelid surgery, nasal surgery, sculpting of facial bones and breast enlargement and liposuction. Friendships and professional relationships forged during this year have remained a key part of Dr. Barnett’s professional career. He now allows young surgeons from around the world to study with him, completing the circle.
Writing and lecturing, Dr. Barnett publishes frequently in the plastic surgery and general scientific literature. An article he wrote based on his extensive experience with breast augmentation, outlining a new technique he developed, was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the national scientific journal for plastic surgeons. The article was selected for the Year Book of Plastic Surgery, an annually published abstract of the most significant articles in his field. The technique has become the basis for the “natural look” when performing the transaxillary minimal incision approach.
Based on his experience in cranio-facial surgery, an advanced surgical technique to restructure the bones of the face, he developed and published a unifying theory on Facial Form Analysis. The theory applies basic sculptural concepts of mass and form, using a mathematical model, to analyze the face. It provides surgeons with an analytical framework to determine the need for cheek, chin, and posterior jaw implants.
Dr. Barnett has been quoted extensively in the popular press, including fashion magazines, news magazines, and the Wall Street Journal. He has been named to the “Best Physician” lists in numerous publications, both national and local. He is a much sought after spokesperson for plastic surgery, appearing on local and national radio, television, and webcasts. He has spoken to lay audiences on a variety of topics, including his work with Interplast, and his concepts on Art and Plastic Surgery.
The doctor has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1978 and has been in private practice since 1985. Married with two children, his hobbies include painting, sculpture, and computers as well as cross country running, sailing, and skiing.
Dr. Barnett is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Aesthetic Surgery, California Medical Association, and multiple specialty societies. He is former Chief of Plastic Surgery at St. Francis Memorial Hospital and has served on the Board of Trustees for the past decade. He is former Chief of Staff of Bay Area Surgery Center, and has staff privileges at St. Francis Memorial Hospital, California Pacific Medical Center, John Muir Medical Center and San Ramon Regional Medical Center. He has offices in San Francisco and Walnut Creek.
