Body contouring is a general term that refers to procedures that al-ter the shape of large areas of the body, that is, mainly the trunk and extremities. Naturally, many cosmetic procedures have this goal, but the common use of the term “body contouring” denotes surgeries such as liposuction, excision of excess tissue with or without muscle tightening, and placement of implants to augment contours.
Body contouring procedures can help improve shape, but typi- cally they do not lead to (1) significant weight loss (with the excep- tion of surgeries in which large amounts of heavy skin are removed from patients who have already undergone massive weight loss), (2) a reduction in waist size, or (3) improvement in cellulite.