What is Your Basic Body Shape?

By Dr. Surjit Rai

Through our genetics, we all have a basic body shape. As the years go by and we develop our lifestyle, we may change our appearance by adding bulk but we always keep the basic shape. It will re-emerge when we lose weight.

There are thought by some to be six types of female body shape. Since fashions come and go, each type is in fashion sooner or later and then drops out of fashion. If your body type is currently out of fashion, you may be feeling unattractive and may even be trying to change your basic shape with diet, exercise, and/or cosmetic surgery.

Six Female Body Types

1. The “A” Frame or Pear Shape — this type has extra weight in the lower body and a small waist, bust, and shoulders.
2. The “V” Frame or Cone Shape – this type is the opposite of the A Frame – it has thin legs and narrow hips with a large bust and wide shoulders.
3. The “H” Frame – this type looks square-shaped with a large waist and shoulders
4. The “Ruler” Frame – This is a type is thin with equal-sized shoulders, waist, and hips and does not gain weight easily
5. The “8” Frame or Hourglass – this type has equal-sized bust and hips with a significantly smaller waist, and weight gain or loss is evenly distributed over the body
6. The “Oval” Frame or Apple – this shape has thin legs, a short height, and a large bust, with extra weight going to the waistline

The Hourglass type is the perennial female ideal, but regardless of which body type you have, you can look attractive if you feel that you are attractive and if you dress and move well. Exercise programs can be devised for each type, focusing weight training on the thinner areas to build up muscle for a better balance. Lessons in dance or martial arts can increase your balance, grace, posture, and general muscle tone.

Cosmetic Surgery Can Help

If extra weight is obscuring your natural body type, liposuction and/or a tummy tuck can help a great deal. Sometimes we have unwanted fat in smaller, specific areas and there are procedures to help with that too, such as an arm lift or neck liposuction. Of course, there is always the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure of all among women – breast implants – to balance weight on the lower body.

Keep in mind that one’s bones contribute a great deal to your natural body shape, and no cosmetic surgery can change that (except for rhinoplasty, which can change nasal shape). Well, actually, in China, there is a procedure to lengthen the legs. The leg bones are cut and steel extensions inserted which can add about four inches to a woman’s height. But according to news reports, the leg bones are then susceptible to breaking for the rest of your life. Perhaps it is well that this procedure is not legal in the U.S.

When choosing to have plastic surgery for a more attractive or balanced body shape, it is important to be realistic about the results and to have a goal of being more YOU rather than more like someone else.

Please contact our Dallas and Fort Worth office today if you would like to schedule a free consultation with plastic surgeon Dr. Rai.