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Brian A. Cripe, MD
(928) 774-2300 Request Consultation
Procedures About Dr. Cripe Results Reconstructive Traveling patients Locations Call (928) 774-2300 Request a Consultation

Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon · Flagstaff & Sedona, Arizona

Refreshed.
Confident.
You.

Brian A. Cripe, MD is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon serving Northern Arizona. His cosmetic work centers on two combination procedures — Comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation and the Mommy Makeover — each composed around your own anatomy, and each intended to leave you looking rested, refreshed, and recognizably yourself. Patients travel to Dr. Cripe from across the country.

Request a Consultation Call (928) 774-2300
Brian A. Cripe, MD, board-certified plastic surgeon, in the operating room at Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff
10,000+Surgical cases performed
Board certifiedAmerican Board of Plastic Surgery
Division ChiefPlastic Surgery, ENT & Ophthalmology, Flagstaff Medical Center
AAAHC accreditedNorthern Arizona SurgiCenter — private, Medicare certified

Signature procedures

Dr. Cripe's specialties

Combination procedures are safest when they are efficient, since anesthesia exposure, blood loss, and complication risk all follow the hours spent under. Dr. Cripe works quickly and with finesse, which is what allows the face, or the abdomen and breasts, to be addressed comprehensively within a single operation.

A woman in her sixties resting a hand along her jawline, illustrating the areas addressed by Comprehensive Facial RejuvenationModel shown

Signature

Comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation

Most of what reads as an aged face is happening below the skin. The fat pads that sit high on the cheek in your thirties drift down and forward over the following decades, the ligaments holding the deeper tissue in position stretch, and volume that used to fill the midface becomes a fold along the nasolabial line and heaviness at the jaw. Skin laxity is real, but it's usually the last part of the problem rather than the first. This is why Dr. Cripe operates in the deep plane. He releases the zygomatic and mandibular retaining ligaments and repositions the tissue underneath as one unit, so the lift is held by structures built to hold it and the skin is laid back down without tension. In the same procedure he grafts your own fat, in very small parcels, into the midface and around the eyes. What else gets added depends on your face. Some patients need the neck addressed, or the upper lids or eyebags, or a brow that has dropped far enough to make the eyes look tired. CO₂ resurfacing significantly tightens skin by stimulating collagen production. Dr. Cripe will tell you at consultation which of these procedures are best suited based on your anatomy and personal goals.

  • FoundationDeep plane, releasing the zygomatic and mandibular ligaments
  • CombinedMicro fat grafting to the midface and around the eyes
  • VolumeAutologous micro fat grafting and deep tissue reformation
  • SkinSurgical-grade CO₂ laser resurfacing for texture and tone
  • Often combined withUpper or lower eyelid surgery, brow lift, neck lift, submental liposuction
Facelift procedure details at PSNA →
Torso and waistline, illustrating the areas addressed by a Mommy MakeoverModel shown

Signature

The Mommy Makeover

After pregnancy the abdominal muscles often stay separated down the midline — a diastasis — and no amount of training closes it, because the gap is in the fascia rather than the muscle itself. That separation is why a stomach can still push forward on someone who is otherwise lean. It gets repaired surgically, by suturing the muscle edges back together, and that repair is the part of an abdominoplasty that changes the shape of the torso. Removing loose skin is the visible half. The wall underneath is the half that matters. Breasts change as well, usually losing fullness at the top and sitting lower on the chest. Depending on what's there to work with, that's handled with a lift, implants, fat grafting, an internal bra, or a reduction. Liposuction is taken all the way around — flanks, waist, lower back. Treating only the front tends to leave the silhouette looking untouched from the side.

  • AbdomenAbdominoplasty with rectus diastasis repair
  • Contour360° liposuction of the flanks, waist, and back
  • BreastLift, implants, reduction, or fat grafting as indicated
  • SequencingStaged according to safe operative time and a comfortable recovery
  • IntentYour own proportions, restored
Body contouring details at PSNA →
Face & NeckFacelift, neck lift, brow lift, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty BreastAugmentation, lift, reduction, revision, reconstruction Body ContouringLiposuction, abdominoplasty, arm and thigh lift Non-SurgicalNeuromodulators, fillers, laser resurfacing, microneedling Hand & WristCarpal tunnel, trigger finger, arthritis, fractures ReconstructiveMicrosurgery, limb salvage, cancer and trauma reconstruction
Gloved hands assessing the brow and periorbital region during a facial surgery consultationModel shown

About Brian A. Cripe, MD

The training behind the aesthetic work.

Brian A. Cripe, MD is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona, where his practice covers cosmetic surgery, reconstruction, and microsurgery. He also serves as Division Chief of Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, and Ophthalmology at Northern Arizona Healthcare / Flagstaff Medical Center.

His surgical range is wider than most private plastic surgery practices: deep plane facial rejuvenation, breast and body contouring, limb salvage, peripheral nerve microsurgery, hand surgery, and oncologic reconstruction. Dr. Cripe has published peer-reviewed papers and textbook chapters and has presented original research at national plastic surgery meetings. His academic interests run to peripheral nerve surgery, reconstructive technique, and surgical innovation.

He grew up in Michigan and attended Michigan State as a National Merit Scholar, taking dual degrees in zoology and journalism before a master’s in marine biology. Away from the hospital he is a multi-sport endurance athlete and a photographer, with past work on National Geographic projects and international expeditions. He and his family moved to Flagstaff for the variety of cases the practice handles and for the wilderness Arizona offers.

  • CertificationAmerican Board of Plastic Surgery
  • HospitalDivision Chief, Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology & Ophthalmology — Flagstaff Medical Center, Northern Arizona Healthcare
  • ResidencyPlastic & Reconstructive Surgery — Carilion Clinic / Virginia Tech Carilion, 2016–2022; General Surgery Internship, 2015
  • MedicalMD, University of Queensland — clinical rotations at Ochsner Health
  • GraduateMS, Marine Biology, University of Miami
  • UndergraduateBS Zoology & BA Journalism, Michigan State University
  • SocietiesAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons · American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery · Mountain West, Arizona, and Southeastern Societies of Plastic Surgeons
  • ResearchNine peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, including work on adipose-derived regenerative grafting

Reconstructive & hand surgery

Restoring form and function to patients in Arizona

Dr. Cripe is Division Chief of Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, and Ophthalmology at Flagstaff Medical Center, where he takes hospital call. Reconstructive and hand, wrist, and elbow cases remain a substantial part of his operative volume, and the microsurgical precision they require carries back into his aesthetic work.

Hand, wrist & elbow

Carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel release, trigger finger, Dupuytren’s contracture, thumb and wrist arthritis, fractures.

Peripheral nerve microsurgery

Nerve decompression, grafting, and transfer for traumatic injury, compression neuropathy, and chronic nerve pain.

Joint & knee fat grafting

Autologous fat, processed to preserve its regenerative cell fraction, grafted into the knee, shoulder, hand, and wrist for chronic osteoarthritic pain. Dr. Cripe has published on the evidence base.

Facial trauma reconstruction

Maxillofacial trauma, including orbital, nasal, and mandibular fractures and associated soft-tissue injury.

Skin cancer & Mohs reconstruction

Excision of cutaneous malignancy and closure or flap reconstruction following Mohs micrographic surgery.

Breast reconstruction

Implant-based and autologous reconstruction after mastectomy, staged with the treating oncology team.

Limb salvage

Free tissue transfer and complex soft-tissue coverage to preserve a threatened extremity.

Lipedema

Surgical management of lipedema, including staged lymphatic-sparing liposuction of the affected limbs.

Gender-affirming top surgery

Chest masculinization and related procedures, performed with the same care and technical standard as the rest of his reconstructive practice.

Before & after

Real patient results, without retouching.

Each photograph shows the postoperative result at the interval noted. Hover, or tap on a phone, to see the same patient before surgery. Every patient shown has given written authorization for publication.

Results vary between patients. Photographs are of actual patients of Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona, published with written authorization, and are not a representation or guarantee of outcome.

Patients traveling to Flagstaff

Surgery, recovery, and nursing care, arranged in one place.

Many of Dr. Cripe’s cosmetic patients travel to Flagstaff from elsewhere in the country. The arrangements below exist for them.

Northern Arizona SurgiCenter

Surgery is performed at the practice’s own facility, licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services, certified by Medicare, and accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. It sits directly beneath the plastic surgery clinic and across the street from Flagstaff Medical Center, with a secluded private entrance at the back.

Downtown Flagstaff recovery

Patients traveling in recover at a hotel in downtown Flagstaff, a few minutes from the clinic and the surgical center. The practice arranges the booking alongside your surgical date.

Optional in-room nursing

Daily nurse visits are available through your recovery for drain and dressing care, medication review, and monitoring, arranged in advance and scheduled around your postoperative appointments.

You are welcome to ask about these arrangements when you request a consultation. Virtual consultations are available for patients outside the area, before any travel is booked.

“The phrase ‘being sculpted by the sculptor’ comes to mind as I recognize the results from working with Dr. Cripe; he is an artist.”
ML · Mommy Makeover
“Three weeks out from my mommy makeover with Dr. Cripe and I feel and look incredible. I got a breast lift and aug, submental sculpting lipo and chin implant, and flank/low back and inner and outer thigh liposuction all at once. Total transformation. My recovery was so smooth – off pain meds on day 1. My incisions are healing great. Can’t wait for my post-op pics in 2 months!”
Mommy Makeover patient
“I got a tummy tuck and breast augmentation from Dr. Cripe. He is by far the nicest surgeon I’ve ever met. He changed my life by fixing my body after having 3 children. I never thought my body was going to look better and now I am extremely happy with the way I look. Thank you Dr. Cripe and staff for taking care of me.”
Tummy tuck & breast augmentation patient
“Dr. Cripe is amazing – he’s incredibly professional and kind, always made me feel comfortable and cared for, and is an amazing surgeon. I would recommend going to him – it’s great that Flagstaff has such a skilled and compassionate surgeon.”
LS
“What a blessing to have this doctor in Flagstaff as well as his staff. After being in a rollover accident and my hands crushed by the windshield he literally and miraculously put my hand back together. He and his staff are caring, listen and go the extra mile so you feel heard and cared for. I don’t write reviews often but am beyond grateful in so many ways.”
DM · Hand reconstruction
“Talk about a true health care professional. Thankfully I was able to see Dr. Cripe for a multiple fractured jaw and dislocation. After 1 year of healing I can truly say I don’t know if it could be better. His staff was compassionate and worked with a sense of urgency I needed at the time. Thank you from my whole heart. You truly saved me.”
KC · Facial trauma reconstruction
“Performed my husband’s gender affirmation surgery. We could not have been happier to get this done so close to home and after initial consultation were able to get him scheduled for the procedure in just 2 months. Dr. Cripe and staff were kind, caring, and understanding throughout. We felt 100% comfortable.”
CS · Gender-affirming surgery
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Consultations

Dr. Cripe sees patients in Flagstaff and Sedona. You are welcome to request a consultation online, or to call the office directly.

Request a Consultation

What to expect

Consultation process.

  1. Request

    Send the consultation form or call the office, and someone will call you back to arrange a visit in Flagstaff or Sedona. If you are traveling in, a virtual consultation can come first.

  2. Consult

    An unhurried examination and conversation with Dr. Cripe, covering what the procedure you have in mind can accomplish, what it cannot, and whether a different approach — or none at all — would serve you better.

  3. Plan

    A written surgical plan and an itemized quote, yours to consider without a deadline. For patients traveling in, it also sets the operative date, the recovery accommodation, and the nursing schedule.

Locations

Flagstaff and Sedona.

Flagstaff — main office & surgery

Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona
1020 N San Francisco St., Suite 200
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
  • Monday – Thursday8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Friday8:30 am – 4:30 pm
  • Saturday – SundayClosed

Sedona — consultation clinic

Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona
95 Soldiers Pass Road, Suite C-2
Sedona, AZ 86336
  • Clinic daysEvery other Friday
  • Visit typesConsultation & follow-up
  • SurgeryPerformed in Flagstaff

Toll free 1 (800) 962-1390 · info@psna.net

Questions

Asked before every consultation.

Where does Dr. Cripe see patients?
Dr. Cripe sees patients in Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona. The main office is at 1020 N San Francisco St., Suite 200, Flagstaff. Surgery is performed at Northern Arizona SurgiCenter, the practice’s own AAAHC-accredited facility beneath the Flagstaff clinic.
What is Comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation?
It is Dr. Cripe’s combination approach to the aging face, built on a deep plane facelift. A traditional facelift lifts skin and tightens the layer immediately beneath it; a deep plane facelift releases the retaining ligaments that anchor the face and repositions the deeper tissue as a unit, so the skin never carries the tension. Around that foundation he adds only what your anatomy calls for — upper or lower eyelid surgery, brow lift, neck lift, submental liposuction, micro fat grafting to replace lost midface and periorbital volume, and surgical-grade CO₂ laser resurfacing for skin texture. Treating the layers together in one setting is what produces a result that looks rested rather than operated on.
Will it be obvious I’ve had surgery?
It is the concern patients raise most often, and it shapes the technique. The features that read as surgery — a tight or windswept jawline, a flattened midface, a changed eye shape — usually follow from pulling skin and removing volume. Deep plane dissection moves the deeper tissue layer instead, so the skin is never under tension, and micro fat grafting returns volume that time has taken rather than removing more. The intention is not a different face, but your own without the deflation and descent of the last ten or fifteen years. In consultation Dr. Cripe will describe plainly how a given request would look on you, so that the decision is made with a clear picture.
What is a Mommy Makeover?
A combination procedure addressing the changes pregnancy and weight loss produce across the abdominal wall, the breast, and the waistline together. It typically pairs abdominoplasty and repair of rectus diastasis — the separation of the abdominal muscles — with 360-degree liposuction of the flanks, waist, and back, and with a breast lift, implants, reduction, or fat grafting depending on what your tissue will support. Fat removed during contouring can be grafted where volume is wanted. The combination and sequence are set by your anatomy, safe operative time, and recovery, so not every patient has every component in one stage.
I live outside Arizona. How does that work?
Out-of-area patients typically begin with a virtual consultation, then travel to Flagstaff for surgery. Recovery is at a downtown Flagstaff hotel near the office, with optional daily nurse visits for dressing and drain care and monitoring. The practice coordinates the surgical date, accommodation, and nursing schedule together so you know the full timeline before booking travel.
What is joint and knee fat grafting?
Fat is harvested from the patient, processed to preserve its regenerative cell fraction — adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, stromal vascular fraction, growth factors, and anti-inflammatory cytokines — and injected into the affected joint. Published studies report clinically significant improvements in pain and function at twelve months in the knee, shoulder, hand, and wrist, with more limited data in the hip and ankle. Methodology across studies remains heterogeneous and long-term comparative superiority over conventional treatment is still under investigation. Candidates generally have mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis that has not responded to conservative therapy; advanced bone-on-bone arthritis is typically not eligible. Downtime is minimal, and improvement is gradual rather than immediate. Dr. Cripe has written a fuller review of the evidence, available here.
Is Dr. Cripe board certified?
Yes. Dr. Cripe is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He completed a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Carilion Clinic / Virginia Tech Carilion and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery.
How long should I plan to stay in Flagstaff after surgery?
The length of stay depends on the procedure and is set during your consultation, when Dr. Cripe reviews your postoperative appointments and the point at which travel is appropriate. This is confirmed in writing in your surgical plan before you book travel.
Will insurance cover my procedure?
Cosmetic procedures are not covered by insurance. Many reconstructive and hand procedures are, including carpal tunnel release, breast reconstruction after mastectomy, cancer and trauma reconstruction, and some breast reductions. The office verifies benefits before anything is scheduled.

Flagstaff · Sedona · Patients traveling from across the country

Start with a consultation.

In person in Flagstaff or Sedona, or virtually if you are traveling from further afield.

Request a Consultation Call (928) 774-2300
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