What Is AirSculpt®? Everything You Need to Know About the Body Sculpting Procedure

AirSculpt® is a minimally invasive procedure that removes stubborn fat and tightens skin while sculpting targeted areas of the body. With more than 27 locations worldwide, this FDA-approved process is revolutionizing the cosmetic industry. The Business Traveler Show‘s Johanna Gomez spoke to the creator and founder of AirSculpt®, Dr. Aaron Rollins about the body sculpting  procedure.

Interested? Schedule a free AirSculpt® consultation.

Note: Subject to a healthy lifestyle and diet. Talk to your primary care provider for more information. Results may vary by patient.

Johanna Gomez: For those that don’t know exactly what AirSculpt® is, can you explain what it is and how the procedure works?

Dr. Rollins: AirSculpt® is a way to remove unwanted fat from anywhere on the body. Our motto is, ‘If you can pinch it, we can take it.’ And that’s really true. And we can take it in a way that’s minimally invasive, and what does that mean? It means no needle, no scalpel, no stitches. And while you’re wide awake.

JG: When you say, ‘no needle,’ then how are you actually doing this — if you’re not piercing my body to take out the fat?

Dr. Rollins: One of the reasons it’s called AirSculpt® is because we use air pressure to numb the skin to create a two-millimeter-sized hole. And through that little circle, we go in and remove the fat cell by cell with a special robotic device.

JG: I’m assuming that this process, since it’s so detailed, takes a lot longer than any other cosmetic surgery or procedure that is out there.

Dr. Rollins: Not at all. Our average patient takes about an hour and a half to [complete the procedure], and that’s for three to four areas. It’s actually faster. It’s more precise. And the best part about AirSculpt® is not only does it remove your fat, but it tightens your skin at the same time.

JG: But do you need to meet certain criteria, health-wise, in order to be part of this procedure?

Dr. Rollins: Well, because it’s so minimally invasive — look, you’re wide awake. There’s no needle, no scalpel, no stitches. So we can go [from ages] 18 to 83. We could even go older. And we can treat people that aren’t necessarily a great candidate for general anesthesia. So it’s really open to quite a few people.

JG: You’ve obviously seen a lot of trends come and go. Did you find there was a need in this space?

Dr. Rollins: Absolutely. When I first started doing liposuction, I felt so bad for the patients. They would wake up and they’d be in a lot of pain. They wouldn’t be able to go back to work for two weeks, and they didn’t get the results they wanted, at least for six months, if not a year.

JG: And you have to continue working after that, as well.

Dr. Rollins: Oh, yeah. So what I found is my patients wanted to stay awake, and they wanted to look good right away. Everyone has a vacation coming up, or an anniversary, or Valentine’s Day. Whatever it is, no one wants the results later. They want them — and everyone wants to go back to work, or taking care of their kids, or just living their life — the next day. The day after your procedure, do what you want to do.

JG: There’s so much competition in the cosmetic world. What sets you apart from everyone else?

Dr. Rollins: Well, there’s a lot of things we have going on right now. As you know BBLs, or Brazilian butt-lifts, are very popular. What we’re doing is we’re putting that fat in under ultrasound guidance to make sure it goes in the right place. And that is proven with a very big study, that that’s the safest way to prevent complications.

JG: Mommy makeovers. All of it?

Dr. Rollins: Mommy Makeovers are a big thing. A lot of women, either after their first or second child, their body doesn’t snap back to their pre-baby body, and we are uniquely suited to fix that, because usually it’s a matter of repositioning their fat or re-proportioning them. We can do it in such a way that they have a fast result, and they can start taking care of their children the following day. Another thing we’re doing is we’re doing a lot of fat transfer to breasts; where we take fat from anywhere on the body and actually place it in the breast again while you’re awake and make the breast larger, but in a natural way.

We’ve treated people after breast cancer many, many times. We’ve treated people who have lost a limb. We’ve treated people who have had gone through all kinds of medical journeys, where actually fat is something that can help them be more comfortable in their own skin.

JG: You’re in over 27 markets. What are your hopes and dreams for AirSculpt®?

Dr. Rollins: I want to make AirSculpt® available to everyone who would want it.

JG: People that are going to be performing this on so many consumers — are they certified? Do they go through your program? How does that work?

Dr. Rollins: We have over 100 plastic and cosmetic surgeons that operate at AirSculpt®, and what’s really important is — because AirSculpt® is so different than what’s done elsewhere — they go through a very specialized training program, and we are constantly improving our quality of education.

JG: Doctor, I think people obviously care for the results, but they want to know, am I going to gain all this weight back?

Dr. Rollins: Well, I’m glad you asked, because it’s the most common question I get of all the questions everyone [asks]. ‘Is it going to move? Is it going to come back?’ There’s a really simple answer. After the age of 14, you don’t make new fat cells. They either grow or shrink. They can’t come back. The only thing that can happen if you gain weight, wherever you didn’t have AirSculpt®, you could always gain weight in those areas. But what’s really important is we’re doing problems. Fat, doesn’t move. If someone’s problem area is, let’s say, their arms, and we do their arms, you’re good.

JG: But how did the results look? Is it natural looking.

Dr. Rollins: Well, let’s talk about that. So first of all, the whole reason I started AirSculpt® was for results. We lead with results. You can say anything you want about your technology, your center, your doctors. But what really matters to the patient is, ‘what do I look like now versus how will I look after?’

We have over 200,000 ‘before and after’ pictures so that, no matter what you look like or what body area bothers you, you can see exactly what you’ll look like.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.