DEXA Osteoporosis Screening
Understand Your Bone Health

No special preparation is needed. You can eat, drink, and take medications normally before your scan. DEXA technology is resilient and not affected by recent meals or hydration the way some other body composition methods are. Just avoid clothing with metal zippers or buttons — athletic wear works great.

A DEXA (or DXA) scan is a non-invasive test that measures body fat, muscle mass, and bone density using low-dose x-ray technology. It provides highly accurate and detailed information about body composition and bone health in one convenient session.

The scan typically takes about 15 minutes. You'll receive a detailed breakdown of your body composition and/or bone density measurements.

Please visit our booking page for up-to-date pricing. Our DEXA scans are affordably priced and often less expensive than insurance copays or deductibles.

No. Just book online and come in. No referral, no prescription, no insurance approval needed.

Yes, the DEXA scan uses an extremely low dose of x-ray radiation, comparable to the amount you'd receive from eating 3 bananas. It's considered very safe for most individuals.

Wear comfortable clothing without metal, such as zippers or buttons, as metal objects might reduce accuracy of scan results. Sports bras are preferable for women. Activewear like yoga pants and a T-shirt are ideal.

For body composition tracking, many clients scan every month to monitor changes from fitness and nutrition programs. For bone density monitoring, follow-up scans can be done as appropriate for your individual health needs.

No, we do not accept insurance. Our DEXA scans are cash-pay services, and we only accept payment via credit and debit cards. Many clients find our pricing more affordable than insurance copays.

We use clinical-grade DEXA — the gold standard for body composition testing. It provides significantly more accurate results than bathroom scales, calipers, or bioimpedance devices, measuring regional and total body fat, muscle mass, and bone density with precision.

Yes! Our scans measure visceral fat, the dangerous fat that surrounds your internal organs and is linked to metabolic diseases, heart disease, and other health problems.

Bone density naturally changes over time, and most people don't know where they stand until they measure it. A DEXA bone density scan gives you a clear baseline and T-score so you and your doctor can make informed decisions about your bone health.

Yes. DEXA accuracy depends on proper calibration and a stable scanning environment. Our scanners are fixed-site, clinical-grade systems — not mobile units transported in vans. A stable, properly calibrated machine means more reliable results, especially if you're tracking changes over time. We also offer both body composition analysis and clinical osteoporosis screening with independent radiologist interpretation — most providers only offer one or the other.

At Desert Dexa, it's a 15-minute scan that measures your bone mineral density using low-dose x-ray. You get a T-score and Z-score — the standard metrics doctors use to diagnose osteoporosis and assess fracture risk. Learn more about how DEXA scans work.

Your T-score compares your bone density to a healthy 30-year-old. A score above -1 is normal. Between -1 and -2.5 means low bone mass (osteopenia). Below -2.5 means osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis has no symptoms. You can lose bone for years and never feel a thing. For most people, the first sign is a fracture — and by then, significant bone loss has already happened.

You lie on a padded table fully clothed. A scanner arm passes over your body. It takes about 15 minutes. No injections, no fasting, no prep.