What is body contouring?

Body contouring, or body sculpting, is a medical or surgical procedure that aims to reshape an area of the body. It may involve procedures to:

• Get rid of extra skin.
• Eliminate excess fat.
• Reshape or contour the area.

Body contouring does not usually help you lose weight. Instead, it helps shape the body and address specific areas where weight loss isn’t effective or after significant weight loss results in extra skin.

What are the different types of body contouring?

Nonsurgical body contouring is called lipolysis. There are several lipolysis methods:

• Cryolipolysis uses very cold temperatures to destroy fat cells (for example, CoolSculpting®).
• Injection lipolysis involves putting deoxycholic acid into the body to target fat cells.
• Laser lipolysis uses lasers to destroy fat cells (for example, Zerona®).
• Radiofrequency lipolysis uses ultrasound waves and heat to target fat cells (for example, truSculpt®).

Sometimes, the results can vary.