The quest for a desirable body shape and slim figure has been prevalent amongst both the sexes for ages. With the major role of social media platforms like Instagram in influencing the lives of many people , there is a set standard for beauty and body image in the minds of many adolescent girls and women . Overwhelmed people sometime resort to crash dieting, weight loss pills etc to achieve the same. The concept of Body Contouring is not limited to the Western world anymore and is very popular in the metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc. . It is catching up fast in small towns as well. From celebrities to housewives, every individual is becoming body conscious and beauty conscious. In the professional front as well, people who are fitter are perceived to be more dedicated, disciplined, focused and attractive than their non-fit counterparts.
Body contouring or body sculpting is the process of removal of excess/resistant/stubborn fat which fails to go despite excessive workout and following a strict diet. The process also helps in tightening of loose skin to achieve desirable shape. Body contouring is a mixture of art and science and includes different techniques to help reshape the body. This was possible only with surgery in earlier days but now the times have changed. Dermatologists are now widely practicing the non-surgical modalities of body contouring keeping in mind the work schedule and active social life of the clients. The key to a fit body undoubtedly is a balance between calorie intake and exercise. However, certain pockets of fat are very resistant and fail to go despite diet and exercise and this is where the scope for body contouring or body shaping procedures lies.
Fat is present in the third layer of the skin and is arranged in the form of lobules separated from each other by septa. The fibrous septae consist of blood vessels, nerves and lymphatics. Each lobule consists of fat cells, which consist mostly of lipids that fill up the most of the cell.
A substantial percentage of people face issues like obesity and cellulite owing to the sedentary lifestyle and food habits .This has a significant impact on the overall health and quality of life on an individual increasing the risk for deranged cholesterol and lipid levels, heart diseases , blood pressure, diabetes etc. Body contouring techniques are a great boon for such people where in there is no down time involved and the person can resume his/her work immediately after the procedure.
Obesity can be classified as upper body obesity (android-type) or lower body obesity (gynoid type). In android obesity , extra fat is deposited in the abdomen and upper body giving the shape of an apple whereas in gynoid obesity the extra fat is deposited in the hip and thigh area giving the shape of a pear . Android obesity is more frequently seen in the men and is associated with obesity – related metabolic complications and cardiovascular diseases than gynoid – type obesity which is more common in women.
When a person begins to put on extra weight, the fat cells increase in size (hypertrophic obesity).This is characteristic of android type abdominal obesity and is associated with increased risk of heart diseases and metabolic abnormalities. This type of obesity generally starts in adulthood and responds better to all weight loss and body contouring treatments.
However, if he/she continues to put on more and more weight ,there is an increase in the fat cell number as stem cells get converted to fat cells (hypercellular or hyperplastic obesity). Hypercellular obesity generally starts in childhood or adolescence and responds poorly to body contouring methods.
Diet and exercise help to decrease the size of the fat cells i.e. they shrink in size but the fat cell number remains intact.
Body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used tool for classification of overweight and obesity. It is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by height in square meter (kg/sq m).A person with BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy and less than 18.5 is underweight. BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and >30 is termed obese and this is further graded as mild (BMI between 30-35), moderate (BMI between 35-40) and morbid obesity(BMI>40) .
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