Dr. A. Jay Burns is a board-certified plastic surgeon and world-renowned expert in the field of aesthetics. For over 30 years, Dr. Burns has helped patients transform inside and out through a combination of surgical procedures, nonsurgical rejuvenation technology and skin care.
He is recognized in the industry as the leading figure in using aggressive laser resurfacing technology to treat the most advanced sun damage and wrinkling. His expertise also extends to many other leading anti-aging technologies, including visible light and infrared lasers, radiofrequency, ultrasound, photoacoustic, cold energy and topical formulations for skin care.
In addition to his busy clinical practice, Dr. Burns has enjoyed a prestigious academic career and helped numerous products come to market through his involvement in clinical trials and scientific advisory boards. He is a well-known author in the scientific literature on these topics. He is also a frequent lecturer at industry conferences both nationally and internationally and hosts sold out preceptorships, teaching his techniques to colleagues in his office at Resurrect Skin MD.
Resurrect Skin MD is the culmination of Dr. Burns’ three decades of professional experience and a life-long passion for medicine. He is excited to continue his journey as the director of RSMD and continue providing patients with the exceptional service they deserve.
Medicine is more than a career for Dr. Burns — it’s a calling.
As a child, he watched with awe as doctors helped his father overcome a series of challenging health problems, including what should have been a terminal cancer diagnosis in his 40s. The family spent countless hours in the hospital, developing close relationships with the doctors and staff. The experience left an indelible mark.
“For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor,” Dr. Burns says. “In fact, when I was young, I honestly thought that everybody wanted to be a doctor, and only those who couldn’t went on to do something else.”
That love of medicine never left. Although he entered college with the intent of following his older brother’s footsteps into law, he soon realized that he was meant to travel a different path. He transferred to pre-med and has never regretted the decision.
Medical Education and Training
Dr. Burns is a graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He went on to complete his internship and General Surgery residency at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, then returned to UT Southwestern for his Plastic Surgery residency. He completed his specialty training with a fellowship at Harvard University in Boston.
“When I got into medical school, I liked it all,” Dr. Burns says. From pathology to internal medicine, he eagerly dove into his education, amassing as much knowledge and experience as he could. His future came into focus when he rotated into plastic surgery and witnessed two procedures that would change the course of his career.
“I saw a rodeo cowboy who lost his thumb in steer-roping. They microscopically took his toe and replaced the thumb, and got it functional,” he recalls. “Then, a few days later, they did the first breast reconstruction from the abdomen called a TRAM flap. It’s a routine procedure now, but I saw the first one that was ever done in the University hospital in Utah and one of the first ones ever done in the world.”
Dr. Burns knew then without a doubt: plastic surgery was going to be his specialty. “I thought, how could you do anything else? This is the coolest thing ever.”
A Tomato Changes Everything
Dr. Burns’ fellowship took him down another unexpected road. His work focused on vascular anomalies in children, and he went on to found the Vascular Anomalies and Birthmark Clinic in Dallas. He became one of the first doctors in the country to treat vascular tumors with lasers in addition to surgery.
Because lasers were not yet widely adopted in medicine, Dr. Burns had to learn about the technology from unusual sources. “No doctors were doing it. There were no textbooks on it. So I was trained by a physicist,” he says. “I would find PhDs in Laser Physics and buy them dinner, and they would tell me everything about how lasers work.”
In 1995, a new CO2 laser called the Coherent UltraPulse was introduced. Dr. Burns encountered the device at a professional meeting, where he was lecturing about the use of vascular lasers for children. It immediately captured his attention.
“I held a tomato, and I shaved off the skin of the tomato with the laser. It was so precise and thin that there was no liquid on my hand,” he says. “I looked at one of my colleagues and I said, ‘You know, this might be something.’”
The Road to Resurrect Skin MD
Dr. Burns’ curiosity and forward-thinking perspective shaped the rest of his career. His early interest in aesthetic lasers led to him becoming one of the industry’s foremost experts in the technology. He has spoken all over the world about lasers and been involved in the development of many new technologies.
Over the years, his expertise has expanded to include other devices, including systems involving radiofrequency, ultrasound and photoacoustic technology. “I’ve had the privilege of serving on the scientific advisory boards for most of the significant technologies that have been developed over the last 30 years,” he says.
It was only natural, then, that when it came time to launch his solo practice, its focus would be technology. Resurrect Skin MD is home to the world’s most advanced devices and minimally-invasive treatments, carefully selected and vetted by Dr. Burns to ensure RSMD patients receive nothing but the best.
Looking Forward to the Future
The child reverently watching his father’s medical team could never have imagined the roads life would lead him down.
“It’s a privilege to spend my career helping people. When you see that you’ve really made a difference in someone’s life, that you’ve helped them overcome an obstacle, that’s a gift that doesn’t go away,” Dr. Burns says. “It keeps me going every day.”
Dr. Burns believes his life’s work is not just to be a good plastic surgeon; it’s to be a kind and compassionate caregiver, who helps people see the best in themselves and live their most confident, authentic lives.
“I look for every opportunity not just to help people physically, but to encourage them and see them as a whole person,” he says. “My goal is to serve others, and to do it with excellence.”
RSMD’s patients experience that passion and integrity every day. Together with his staff, Dr. Burns has created a cutting-edge and comprehensive practice where natural results are achieved with an emphasis on safety, empathy and delivering an experience that is second to none.
“We’d love for you to come give us a try. We think you’ll see that we live and breathe our values every day at Resurrect Skin MD,” says Dr. Burns. “We are so excited to show you what we can do and to continue growing RSMD into something we are really proud of.”
TV & Media Appearances
Dr. Burns has been honored for his achievements by D Magazine’s “Best Doctors in Dallas” and Texas Monthly’s “Super Doctors” over a dozen times each. He has also been selected many times for “The Best Doctors in America” database, a reference guide of physicians elected by their peers.
Dr. Burns has been quoted in numerous national, state and local publications, such as The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, Self, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Allure and Elle. He regularly lends his expertise to television and radio programs, including a period when he appeared as a guest plastic surgeon on Good Morning Texas, WFAA-TV for many years.
Dr. Burns was noted for his work on a reconstructive case involving a two-year-old boy who lost the majority of his face after being mauled by a dog. The story won a daytime Emmy for the team at Good Morning Texas here in Dallas and was also picked up nationally in over 1500 newspapers.
Eventually, Dr. Burns was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Medical Miracles show. He worked alongside seven other surgeons and six anesthesiologists to reconstruct the boy’s face in a procedure lasting nearly 40 hours. The operation remains one of the most complex reconstructive cases in history.
Personal Life
Outside of work, Dr. Burns is a devoted family man. He has been married to his best friend and wife, Ginny, for over 40 years. They share their lives with their children and grandchildren, as well as the close-knit community of their local church.
Dr. Burns’ passions outside of work include the ministry he and his wife started many years ago, Prodigal, which helps families caught up in the chaos of addiction. His other interests include bowhunting, video editing and golf. If he is not spending time with loved ones, you may find him shooting his bow, working on his golf swing, or building into the life of young men who want to lead themselves and their families well. He has won several amateur golf tournaments and once qualified for the professional Texas Senior Open.
Visit Dr. Burns at Resurrect Skin MD in Dallas, TX
At Resurrect Skin MD, Dr. Burns devotes each day to the mission he and his team decided on together: bringing Skin to Life™ through science, care and compassion. Reach out today to schedule your consultation and discover how Dr. Burns and his world-class team are redefining the medical spa experience. Call us at 219-754-6865 or fill out our contact form today.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon With Credentials to Match
Voted as a Texas Super Doctor for 18 years in a row
Named Best Doctor in Dallas by D Magazine 14 Times
