Marguerite Barnett MD FACS PA - Sarasota Institute Of Plastic Surgery & Mandala Medical Spa In Florida

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Marguerite Barnett, M.D., F.A.C.S., P.A. Board Certified Florida Cosmetic SurgeonDr. Barnett has integrated her cosmetic and reconstructive techniques with the wisdom of ancient Eastern healing arts to create a new healing vision.

Name: Dr. Marguerite Barnett
Clinic: Mandala Medical Spa
Location: Sarasota, FL
Website: drmbarnett.com, mandalamedspa.com

That's interesting: Dr. Barnett is a double board-certified cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon, licensed in both Hawaii and Florida.

Giving back to the community is an integral part of Dr. Barnett’s philosophy and commitment to health and wellness. She actively participates in local charitable events year-round with the Wellness Community of Southwest Florida; United Cerebral Palsy of Sarasota; and The Women’s Resource Center. One of the most popular ways Dr. Barnett supports charitable events is through her expression of Indonesian and Balinese dance.

Can you give us a picture of how your clinic is organized and runs? 

My clinic for business accounting purposes is split into two sides. The doctor’s practice and the medical spa. The concept was to have the high-tech, scientific “western” doctor’s side balanced by the luxurious ancient rituals of the eastern spa side. Of course there’s an overlap and that’s exactly how I wanted it. If the massage therapist spots a weird mole on their client’s back, the client can run next door to have me look at it. If I encounter a patient who needs skin care for best results, I can shoot herover to the medical aesthetician. Post-op patients benefit from acupuncture to lessen pain and my employees and patients benefit from stress-reducing yoga and meditation. The overall design which has an Asian flavor is comforting and inviting to all. I was nervous at first because it was not the typical doctor’s office but on the day of moving in, I lost my fear completely when one of the movers, a Bronx native judging by his accent, dropped his box and said “Whoa! This place feels healing! You the Doc? What kinda Doc are you?” He got it! 

Hawaii Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Marguerite Barnett

You're double board certified cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon licensed in both Hawaii and Florida. How do the different states that you practice in differ in terms of medical operations? 

Well, I haven’t lived in Hawaii for almost 30 years but what my friends in the state communicate, Hawaii seems to be ahead of Florida in many aspects. They have a much lower rate of uninsured population and a more cohesive public health initiative, important when you’re dealing with an international, multi-cultural population with extreme disparities in wealth and education.

Florida has these issues as well but we’re not handling them as well as Hawaii. Maybe the fact that Hawaii consists of several small islands sharpens the sense that these issues must be addressed or the lifeboat will sink. It’s harder to ignore these problems on an island. Also they do not have a governor that turns down billions of dollars in federal aid.

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The Value Of Board Certification In Cosmetic Medicine?

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Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Is it better and safer to get Botox injected by a family physician who has been injecting patients for 15 years or a newly graduated plastic surgeon who just finished his residency last week?

In Cosmetic Surgery, the term "Board Certified" is the most highly used term for marketing purposes today. Thirty years ago, many doctors were "Board Eligible" or non boarded and their value came from their training and their experience and their expertise, not just a label. Today, doctors are expected to be board certified in something. That something is the topic of heated battles and debates and many of our colleagues are just as confused about it as are our patients and the public and the media. Insurance companies and third party payor and even hospitals require board certification and may use it for determining reimbursement. 

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and The American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery (ABFPRS) have had many decades of heated nasty all out warfare. For the most part, on the surface at least, the war is over but small battles and skirmishes are still waged amongst these two specialties here and there around the country. But cosmetic surgery is no longer being offered purely by Plastic Surgeons or Facial Plastic Surgeons, Oculoplastic surgeons, Oral surgeons, otolaryngologists, & dermatologists are a significant part of the cosmetic surgery providers. More over, family physicians, ER doctors, Radiologists, OBGYNs, and other doctors whose specialty is not traditionally associated with cosmetic surgery are now the fastest growing population of cosmetic surgery providers with Botox and fillers and lasers as their entry to the more involved mini facelifts and blepharoplasties and liposuction. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Board of Laser Surgery has given this large heterogonous group of non-cosmetic surgeons an umbrella to gather under and a label to use for marketing and validation.  

The American Board of Plastic Surgery and The American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery have now joined forces in order to "protect the public" and inform the media and public about the lack of proper residency or fellowship training by many of these new non traditional providers.  Protecting the public is a noble endeavour and a great cause but I ask who is going to protect the public from less inept members of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery?  There is no doubt that the vast majority of poor cosmetic surgery with bad outcomes are being performed by Board Certified doctors, most of which are actually certified by these two esteemed Boards (ABPS and ABFPRS). 

Then what is the true value of "board certification" and how will the public be protected? We must police and control our own profession as a whole before we are controlled by outside forces. In Ontario Canada, a deal between the society of Plastic Surgeons and the Department of health posed a new regulation where no one other than a plastic surgeon could use the term "plastic surgery" in their advertising! So, is it better and safer to get Botox injected by a family physician who has been injecting patients for 15 years or a newly graduated plastic surgeon who just finished his residency last week or even from a nurse who works at a plastic surgeons office? This is a tough question that needs to be answered by us doctors before it gets settled for us by external forces.