Subcutaneous Fat vs. Visceral Fat- What's the difference?

Subcutaneous fat is the fat that is stored directly under the skin and is actually the deepest layer of your skin. This is the "pinchable fat" that you can feel when you pinch your skin and mainly collects around your hips, butt, thighs, and abdomen. When we do body contouring, this is the fat we are targeting. An easy way to think of it is - if you can pinch it, I can work on it!

It is good and healthy to have some subcutaneous fat because it serves many functions throughout your body. It pads your muscles and bones to protect you from bumps and falls, it helps your blood vessels and nerves get from your skin to your muscles, it helps regulate your body temperature to make sure you don't get too hot or cold, and it attaches the middle layer of your skin (dermis) to your muscles and bones with special connective tissue. 

 

Visceral fat is the fat that is stored deep within your abdominal cavity and surrounds your stomach, liver, intestines and other important organs. This is the fat you will work on with diet and exercise. This is the fat that is considered more dangerous to your health since it is strongly linked to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Visceral fat is more readily metabolized into fatty acids than subcutaneous fat, which means it responds more efficiently to diet and exercise. This is one of the reasons it is important that if you are considering body contouring, you really need to be working on your diet and exercising regularly. It's important to remember that even liposuction cannot target and get rid of visceral fat! The only way to get rid of it is through lifestyle changes.