Patient selection: contouring options for higher-BMI patients

Body contouring has historically served a narrow patient group: people close to their goal weight with discrete, pinchable deposits. Patients carrying more weight are routinely told they are not candidates.

An FDA clearance that extends to a BMI of 40 shifts that boundary. It creates a pathway for patients who are actively engaged in weight management but who cannot access surgical or cryolipolysis options.

In practice, the strongest clinical results come from integrating the laser course into a broader programme — nutrition support, activity, and where appropriate medical weight management — rather than positioning it as a standalone intervention.

Set expectations in the consult. Circumference reduction is measurable and meaningful; it is not weight loss, and it is not a substitute for metabolic care.