If you want the perfect waist-to-hips ratio, sometimes referred to as an “hourglass figure,” you can achieve it through body contouring. Treatments range from simple and non-invasive to more complex. Your doctor will work with you to determine the best course of treatment so that you can have the results you want.

Hourglass Figures Explained

Some people naturally have an hourglass figure, while others have trouble attaining one no matter what type of clever dieting and exercise they commit to. There are several things that affect your waist-to-hip ratio:

• Your genetics can determine how much fat naturally accumulates around your abdomen, and you may have more fat around the abdomen than the hips, which results in a pear shape instead of an apple shape.

• Hormone changes, like those that you experience when you go through menopause, can result in more fat accumulation around the abdomen. Even if you’ve always had an hourglass figure, you may notice that it changes during menopause.

• The natural shape of your hip bones, rib cage or pelvic bone can play a role in waist-to-hip ratio.

The solution for attaining an hourglass figure starts with figuring out your specific body structure and how fat behaves around your abdomen and hips.

Creating an Hourglass Figure

If you want an hourglass figure, then you’re after a waist-to-hip ratio of approximately 0.7, which means that the waist will be 30% smaller than the hips. You’ll be measured at the narrowest point of the waist and at the widest point of the hips, and then those two numbers together will be divided. A ratio of 0.7 is what’s most normal, attractive and healthy for females (in men, the ratio is 0.9)

Body contouring will address areas of excess skin or fat that may be keeping you from having an hourglass figure. Also, some volume may be added to certain areas. Altogether, the process will either create or restore an hourglass figure. If you already have an hourglass figure to a degree, body contouring can be used to simply enhance it.

Common body contouring procedures include the following:

• Liposuction to the abdomen, back and flanks • A body lift or tummy tuck to remove extra skin and tighten the stomach muscles • Fat transfer to the buttocks and hips, also referred to as a Brazilian Buttock Lift

Women sometimes gain fat in the mid-section and don’t gain as much fat in other parts of their body, meaning you probably still have trim arms and thighs. In this case, liposuction around the waist will be most helpful in achieving an hourglass figure.

The exact procedures used in your treatment will depend on your body structure, as well as the amount and location of excess fat and skin.

Limitations to Achieving an Hourglass Figure

Your specific body will determine which procedures will help you get an hourglass figure and how effective those procedures will be. The size of your rib cage, pelvis and bones will affect the outcome, as will the amount of intra-abdominal fat you have and the amount of fat that’s in the buttocks, hips and waist area. If you’ve recently lost a lot of weight, you may need surgery to remove excess skin instead of excess fat. This type of procedure may help you get back your original hourglass figure.

For example, if you have a wide rib cage or chest, or you have narrow hips or a narrow pelvis, body contouring won’t be as noticeable. The amount of fat that’s around the organs and the amount of intra-abdominal fat you have will determine how narrow your waist can become and how flat your tummy will be. If you have extra fat underneath the skin, that’s what will be most responsive to procedures like body lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction and fat transfers.

Even with limitations, though, body contouring procedures are powerful in helping you get a waist-to-hip ratio you’re happy with. While several factors go into deciding what’s possible for your ideal waist-to-hip ratio, you’ll be as close to 0.7 as possible.

Recovering from Body Contouring

After your body contouring procedure, you’ll have bandages or dressings on any incisions that had to be made. There also may be small tubes that are temporarily put underneath the skin to drain fluid or blood that collects there. You’ll be directed about how to care for the surgical sites, which medications to take or apply to the skin, and how to spot problems at the surgical sites or with your health. You’ll also book a follow-up appointment with your plastic surgeon to ensure everything is healing as it should.

While recovering from body contouring procedures, you should avoid straining, bending or lifting for a few days to up to several weeks. Your doctor will tell you exactly how long to avoid these activities for. You may also need to sleep with pillows strategically placed to elevate certain parts of your body. In order to minimize the risk of blood clots, it’s important that you move around when possible and that you drink plenty of fluids.

Choosing a Body Contouring Professional

With years of experience and a plethora of happy clients, our body contouring procedures utilize the latest and most advanced techniques and technology available today. We’ll work with you to choose the treatment that best fits your goals and budget, and we’ll guide you through the post-process downtime so that you can get back to enjoying life – and your new body. We ensure that this treatment will be as comfortable as possible, safe, and private.

Moving Forward with Body Contouring

At Doctors Plastic Surgery, you will be in the hands of highly-certified professionals with expertise in the areas of body-contouring and the like. Doctors Plastic Surgery have offices in New York (718.395.5220) and Chicago (312.313.2833). For more info, visit their website.

photo via independent.co.uk