Want to get rid of stubborn fat - Am I too skinny for airsculpting? (photos)

Question

Hello I work out 3x a week and eat fairly healthy.. but I just would love to get rid of stubborn fat and look a bit more cut. I am pretty thin already but I'd love some more definiton. Would it be nuts to do airsculpting? I am a42 M.

Hung William Song, MD · Answer

You are indeed pretty thin already but if you are looking to have more cuts and definition, you should have high def liposuction which is a technique of sculpting the body with liposuction to expose the muscles and exaggerate the cuts. This is best performed using power assisted tools such as Air Sculpting®, Vaser®, MicroAire®, or PowerX®. Which device is used does not matter so much as the skill of the surgeon performing the procedure. High Def liposuction is an art and needs to be performed by someone who is very skilled and artistic. You may also consider having Trusculpt Flex® or EmSculpt® which are non-invasive treatments that build the muscle itself.

Justin Yovino, MD, FACS · Answer

Yes, you are thin and likely have very little excess fat. With that said, you very well may be a candidate for liposculpting to deliver a more “cut” appearance. You’ll want to visit with a plastic surgeon who is very skilled in liposculpting with tiny cannulas. By the way, “air sculpt” is liposuction.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Low BMI patients can be excellent candidate for liposuction for slightly different reasons and then those who are a bit chubby.
An individuals within layers of subcutaneous fat the goal is generally to get better muscle definition and look even more lean rather than contouring and changing the overall shape or contour of the body. and low BMI individuals we don’t expect to see significant changes in overall contour since the fat layer is generally less than a half an inch. it can however give you an appearance of having lost even more weight and being more defined.
Individuals who are good candidate for getting liposuction especially low BMI patients should have good quality skin with good skin elasticity
Any history of obesity or wait fluctuations often means there is mild skin laxity an age causes a loss of skin elasticities which lessons the ability to get impressive results with fat removal.
The easiest way to differentiate skin laxity is contributing to the appearance is to gently put the skin under attention and see if that has a big impact on how your body looks.
Most people measure that thickness by pinching or grabbing their skin.
When you do that your recruiting skin and pushing it together which makes the fat layer seems thicker than it actually is. to more accurately get an idea of how thick your subcutaneous fat layer is tried gently pushing in with the tip of your finger while holding the skin under slight tension so it’s not loose. You do not need to push hard at all. A very gentle touch until you feel the underlying muscle wall. That’s the thickness of your subcutaneous fat layer. in your case I run your mid abdomen it’s probably half an inch.
Recognize that if it looks considerably better when you pull your skin tight and that is the impact that skin laxity or loss of skin elasticity has.
The results can differ significantly based on very subtle differences in quality of skin when it comes to liposuction on low BMI individuals.
We loose skin elasticity with age and this begins early in life.
Generally speaking individuals over the age of 50 tend to not make great Liposuction candidates in those in their 20s typically get better results.
At age 42 you’ve lost some skin elasticity. It would also be helpful to know if you’ve had any significant weight fluctuations. Even a 30 pound weight loss can create skin laxity that can limit the potential outcome for liposuction results.
Delivering excellent Liposuction results including the ability to make an accurate assessment vary substantially from provider to provider.
The following is a bit of an extensive review on how to find the best provider for liposuction treatments.
These are just my thoughts and my opinions and other providers feel differently. The rest of the response is a copy and paste of a previous response. You can ignore any reference to female anatomy or liposuction of the extremities.
The point is the process of finding the right provider.
How to find a provider liposuction 
Here’s the process I recommend patient take.
Start by getting pictures of your body the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures.
Have someone else take the pictures or use the timer on your camera. pictures should be taken from about six or 8 feet away. Don’t take pictures using a mirror.
Pictures should be taken with the camera at the same height of what’s being photographed. For the abdomen the camera should be at the height of the abdomen. for the thighs the camera should be at the height of the thighs.
Quality pictures require showing your body. Wear loose revealing undergarments that don’t press into your skin. Take pictures of your front, side and back side standing in a neutral position with your arms down by your side.
Print copies of these pictures.
Whenever reviewing before and after pictures whether you’re doing it at home or during a consultation always have your own pictures by your side for a comparison.
Understanding candidacy is key and understanding with the procedure can or cannot accomplish.
When reviewing results look for patients who have similar body characteristics to your own in the before pictures.
If they have different characteristics then what you look like and those results don’t apply to you.
Make a list of all the local board-certified plastic surgeons in your community.
Go to each providers website and document the quantity and quality of Liposuction before and after pictures posted on their website. take a peek at other procedures like tummy tucks etc. for reference. if someone has 25 sets of before and after pictures of the tummy tucks but only has two pictures of Liposuction results and that is probably not The right provider.
This will give you a general idea if providers like doing Liposuction, do a lot of liposuction and get enough quality results to post them on their websites. next choose five of those providers and schedule in person consultations.
There’s no correct number of consultation someone needs to find the best provider but the more consultations you have the better you’ll get at doing consultations including the ability to properly vet plastic surgeons and the higher your chance of finding the best provider.
Considering that a substantial number of plastic surgeons simply aren’t good at Liposuction and the number of providers who are excellent at this procedure is rare you definitely need to have multiple consultations.
Personally I do not believe it’s possible to find the right provider using a computer or by having a virtual consultations.
Virtual consultations are better than no consultation but in my opinion in person consultations are needed to get a quality assessment and to properly vet the provider.
Take careful notes during each consultation. become familiar with what quality liposuction results look like on people who have bodies similar to your own. Create a rating system for Liposuction results.
Recognize that most pictures available on the Internet either represent some of the best results because that’s what the providers usually put out on their website or disastrous results from patients who are seeking help. most average liposuction results don’t end up as pictures on the Internet.
During each consultation ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures.
Bring printed copies of your own pictures of yourself.
Ask providers to show you examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and outcomes that didn’t turn out as well as they had hoped.
Ask providers to only show you pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own.
Again, there’s no point at seeing quality results and somebody who had a different candidacy for the procedure than you do.
Providers may be apprehensive to do this and will generally prefer to show you preselected images representing the best results of their career.
There is no point in looking at more impressive which happen for ideal candidates when average candidate’s results represent average results and it is in your interest to find out what the average results look like and to get a clear understanding of how many of these procedures each provider has actually performed.
For reference an experienced plastic surgeon and should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 set of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures like liposuction. highly experienced surgeons will in fact have hundreds or even thousands of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures.
Obviously there are those who are earlier in their career.
Personally I recommend staying with skilled and experienced providers.
When reviewing before and after pictures look very closely at all areas treated with Liposuction. Make sure there are no skin contour irregularities in any of the treated areas. ask the provider to point out exactly what areas were treated with Liposuction and what areas were not treated. then look carefully at transition zones between treated and untreated areas.In regards to Liposuction of the abdomen I view the torso as a single anatomic unit and generally prefer to treat the entire torso as a single unit.
By treating the entire torso as a single anatomic unit patients are left without transition zones between treated and untreated areas.
The concept of treating the torso as a single unit without transition zones is less important on low BMI patients. On chubby people with over an inch of subcutaneous fat the impact of liposuction is dramatic enough that it’s not possible to have a natural transition zone between treated and untreated areas even if the procedure is done well. most people simply get a better result if the entire torso is treated uniformly. A full torso includes upper abdomen, lower abdomen, love handles (all the way down to the top of the hip dip), waist, fall back, under arm (arm pit )all the way to the side of the breast.
You should also take careful notes about the overall thoroughness of the consultation including all aspects of a complete consultation like review of medical history, physical examination, assessment, recommendation of procedures, alternative procedures, risks and benefits, complications including what complications a surgeon is had and how they are managed, preparation for surgery, instructions for recovery, revision rates and revision policy etc. 
Take careful notes about both the quantity and quality of before and after pictures any of the provider showed sufficient number of pictures of previous patient that look very similar to what you look like.
Most people don’t have a lot of experience consulting with plastic surgeons. On the other hand plastic surgeons typically have lots of experience giving consultations.
Recognize that you are the one paying for the procedure and you are hiring someone to do a service for you.
You have all the right in the world to ask for documentation including seeing a variety of results including results that were less than what the provider read hoped for.
If providers fail to cooperate then simply make a note of that and continue to the next provider.
I think you’ll find that the most talented and experience providers will be the most open minded in regards to showing you a variety of results and being truthful about what the procedure can and cannot accomplish in their hands.
Assessing patients for Liposuction candidacy is not easy or straightforward.
Even mild skin laxity can contribute significantly to contour and some areas simply don’t respond to Liposuction because of how the skin drapes especially in certain anatomic positions.
Lower extremity liposuction is technically difficult and often does not deliver the results patients had hoped for.
True saddlebags can respond well but other areas like the upper inner thigh Typically does not give the results patience and hope for and it’s prone to having contour irregularities if the procedure is not done with technical expertise.
If you have any doubts then simply slow down and schedule more consultations.
Nobody has to have liposuction.
Based on your description of yourself a question if the procedure is indicated in the first place.
Recognize that if provider selection is not done well the procedure can leave you permanently disfigured.
Choose carefully, 
Good luck,
Mats Hagstrom MD

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