A complete picture of your body composition.
In about ten minutes.
DEXA measures muscle, fat distribution, and bone density directly. It tells you what a scale cannot, including how much visceral fat you carry and whether you are losing muscle.
What does a DEXA scan actually show?
A DEXA scan measures three things: how much muscle you have, how much fat you have and where it sits, and your bone density.
Most people know DEXA as a bone density test, which is what it gets ordered for in standard care. That is a fraction of what it does.
The part that matters most for long term health is body composition. Two people at the same weight can have very different amounts of muscle and very different amounts of visceral fat, which is the fat packed around your organs rather than under your skin. Visceral fat is the one tied to metabolic disease, and you cannot see it in a mirror.
Muscle mass matters for the same reason from the other direction. It predicts strength, metabolic health, and how well you hold up in your seventies and eighties.
Why we use it
A scale cannot tell you what you are losing.
- Lean mass by region, so we know whether a weight loss plan is costing you muscle. This is the single most common failure in medical weight loss.
- Visceral fat, measured rather than estimated. This is the number that tracks with metabolic risk.
- Bone mineral density, which matters well before anyone qualifies for an osteoporosis screening.
- Left to right comparison, useful after injury or when strength is uneven.
- A baseline you can repeat, so next year's scan means something.
- Physician interpretation, not just a printout. You get a written summary of what the numbers mean for you.
What is the scan like?
You lie still on a padded table for about ten minutes, fully clothed, and the machine passes over you. There is nothing enclosed and nothing loud.
Radiation exposure is very low, well under a standard chest X-ray and a small fraction of a cross country flight.
Wear clothing without metal, skip the heavy meal beforehand, and do not exercise right before. If you are repeating a scan we keep the conditions consistent so the comparison is fair.
What people ask us.
Where can I get a DEXA scan in Utah County?
DEXA body composition scanning is available to Impact Medical members in Utah County.
Your physician orders it, reviews the results with you, and gives you a written interpretation. It is included with Concierge membership through the Impact 100 program and available to DPC members at member pricing.
How much does a DEXA scan cost?
It is included with Concierge membership and available at member pricing for DPC members.
Pricing is reviewed with you before anything is ordered, so there are no surprises. Call us for current standalone pricing.
Do I need a doctor's order?
For a scan through Impact Medical, yes, and that is deliberate.
A DEXA report on its own is a page of numbers. The value is in a physician telling you what they mean for your risk and what to do differently.
How often should I repeat it?
Usually once a year, or every three to six months if you are actively changing your body composition.
More often than that and you are measuring noise rather than change.
Is DEXA better than a body fat scale or a BodPod?
For clinical use, yes. DEXA is the practical reference standard for body composition.
Bioimpedance scales shift with hydration and give you a single whole-body number. DEXA separates muscle from fat by region and measures visceral fat directly.
Is it safe?
Yes. The radiation dose is very low, well below a standard chest X-ray.
The scan is not appropriate during pregnancy. Tell us if that applies.
American Fork, opening December 1.
American Fork, UT 84003
Get your baseline. Then we have something to work with.
We open in American Fork December 1. Join the waitlist and we will call you before opening to answer questions and set your start date. No payment and nothing to sign.