The concept of somatotypes – the idea that there are generalized body types – has been around since World War II. It is based on your skeletal frame and body composition, allowing you to design fitness, diet, and exercise plans based on your body type. What type of body you have is inherited and permanent, so if you’re diminutive, you cannot make yourself become a foot taller through exercise or diet, or if you’re a broad-shouldered person, diet or exercise will not narrow your shoulders.
At Gold Skin Care Center, led by Nashville body contouring specialist Dr. Michael H. Gold, we believe that it’s good to know your general body type so you can know which exercises to avoid and which ones to perform. It’s also good for us to know so we can determine the best body contouring procedure for maximizing your desired goals.
Read on to learn more about the three main body types and the types of body contouring procedures best for each.
The Ectomorph
If you are skinny, you’re probably an ectomorph. You’re lean and thin with little body fat or muscle, and you probably don’t gain weight easily. Good examples of ectomorphs are fashion models or basketball players. Although this is considered the more desirable of the body types, it’s not uncommon for ectomorphic men to wish for broader chests or for ectomorphic women to desire more curves.
A classic combination ectomorphic body type is the endo-ectomorph, which is a person shaped like an apple – fat is stored on the torso but less in the lower body.
If you’re an ectomorph considering a body contouring procedure, you’ll most likely benefit most from treatments that give you a great body lift or that add desired curvature. One example is the butt lift, which gives you the rounder, fuller butt you desire, which is otherwise hard to achieve as an ectomorph.
Body Contouring Treatment Procedures for Ectomorphs
Body sculpting treatments that use radiofrequency technology or ultrasound are effective for ectomorphs because they tighten the loose skin that can befall you as you age or deal with weight fluctuations. They both are precise procedures that contour without surgery, and you’ll experience very little downtime. At Gold Skin Care Center, we are proud to offer a variety of procedures for ectomorphs, including the following:
Exilis Elite: effective skin tightening of the body
Forma, Forma Plus, and BodyFX: radiofrequency skin tightening of the body
Syneron Candela VelaShape: skin tightening of the body and improvement of the appearance of cellulite
Venus Legacy: laser treatment to decrease cellulite pockets and tighten skin
Ultherapy: non-invasive ultrasound treatment focused on lifting and tightening loose skin
The Endomorph
If you have lots of body fat and/or lots of muscle, then you are probably an endomorph. You gain weight easily, though you are not necessarily overweight, which is a common misconception of an endomorph. Prime examples of endomorphs include two iconic American women: Marilyn Monroe and Oprah Winfrey.
A classic endomorph combination type is the ecto-endomorph, which is a body shaped like a pear (thin, lightly-muscled upper bodies with high amounts of fat in the hips and thighs).
As an endomorph considering a body contouring procedure, you’ll probably want to choose a treatment that reduces fat. One example is liposuction, one of the most well-known body sculpting procedures available. It delivers results that are often dramatic, even life-changing.
Body Shaping Treatments for Endomorphs
If you’re not interested in surgery, you’re in luck. At the Gold Skin Care Center, we’re proud to offer non-surgical fat reduction body contouring procedures that are still effective for endomorphs:
InMode BodyFX: radiofrequency fat reduction for your abdomen, thighs, and butt
UltraShape: ultrasound for abdominal fat
ThermiTight (Using ThermiRF): radiofrequency fat reduction for fat around your waist and on your legs
CoolSculpting: freezes and destroys fat cells in your inner thighs, tummy, back, and love handles
Zimmer ZWave: reduces pockets of fat and the appearance of cellulite through sound wave technology
The Mesomorph
You’re a mesomorph if your body type fits somewhere between an ectomorph and an endomorph. You are athletic, neither overweight nor underweight, and can eat what you want in moderation without much worry or weight gain. You gain weight fast if you’re not careful, but you can lose it right back if you’re focused. Either way, it doesn’t take much effort. If you play sports or work out a lot, you’re probably athletic, strong, and solid.
Although you can gain or lose weight fairly easily, it’s a good idea to be disciplined, as it’s easy for you to be lulled into a false sense of thinking that you can eat anything or be lazy and still stay fit and healthy.
As a mesomorph considering a fat reducing treatment, you can just as easily choose a non-surgical fat reduction treatment as you can a skin tightening one. It depends on your desired body contouring goals.
Learn More about Your Body Type and Fat Reduction
Very few people fit completely into one body type category. Therefore, it is very likely that you exhibit traits of each of two or even all three types. Regardless, if you’re considering a body contouring treatment to reduce fat or to tighten skin (or both), Dr. Gold and the staff at Gold Skin Care Center in Nashville offer the most effective choices possible. Contact us online or give us a call at 615.645.2314 today.
