Weighing yourself after exercising and eating healthy only to find out you have gained weight can be disheartening. Many factors can skew the number on the scales, as it weighs everything from fat, muscle, water, bones and all you’ve eaten the day before. When following a strength program an individual can gain lean mass while losing body fat, and DEXA Body Composition Scan will be the best way to track these changes.

Skinfold Caliper Test, also known as Pinch Test, is a quick ﬁeld measure for estimating overall body fat from thickness measurements of subcutaneous fat (the fat just below the skin), but it does not give an indication of total body fat nor potentially dangerous visceral fat. This method is also highly susceptible to measurement errors and the subject has to wear minimal clothing.

Claiming to be precise and easy to use, this novelty method for measuring body composition has only one study of less than 300 subjects backing it up. Without real evidence supporting its validity, you also have to wear minimal clothing to be tested. Mind you that if you are wearing loose clothing or have your hair down results can be distorted.

FAQs Archive - Health Focus Clinic

Q: Are DEXA Body Composition Scans safe?

A DEXA Scan poses no signiﬁcant health risk to its users, and at Health Focus we utilise MedixDR scanners which emit the lowest amount of radiation on the market. Our DEXA equipment emits < 0.1 uSv. This is less than 1/80th of the natural background radiation you would receive in a day (from sunlight exposure, soil, etc.), which is around 8 uSv. Our doses are up to 85 times lower than other Fixed and Mobile DEXA Operators. However, pregnant or potentially pregnant women should not have a DEXA scan. If you have had other Imaging Procedures in the past 14 days, please contact us before booking as you may have been given a contrast media which could affect your scan results.

Q: How often should I get a scan?

After your initial DEXA scan, you can wait around 12 weeks until you have a follow up scan, however this may vary and will be discussed at the time of your scan. This will ensure that you give your body enough time to experience detectable physiological changes in muscle and fat mass which can be picked up by the DEXA scanner.