Body contouring has come a LONG way. We’re not just talking about traditional liposuction anymore. There are lasers, injections, non-invasive treatments, and a million different procedures promising to tighten, sculpt, smooth, or snatch something. And then there’s Airsculpt.
If you’ve been curious about Airsculpt, Lauryn Bosstick can tell you about more than what you’ll just find from a Google search. She flew to Miami, met with the doctor who invented the whole thing, and had three areas treated herself. And she was awake for the whole thing.
She had tons of questions before doing it. How much does it hurt? What does recovery actually look like? How is Airsculpt different from liposuction? And is it worth it? After going through the procedure herself, Lauryn sat down to get into all of it. We’re sharing what Airsculpt actually is, how the procedure works, what Lauryn had done, and everything she wishes she knew beforehand.
This is a real medical procedure with real costs and real risks. Talk to your healthcare provider or a medical professional if it’s something you’re considering.
Everything You Need to Know About AirSculpt From Someone Who Did It
AirSculpt is a body contouring procedure designed to remove stubborn pockets of fat and sculpt specific areas of the body. And Lauryn had been hearing about it for years. She asked around, talked to doctors she trusts, and eventually decided she wanted to try it for herself. She went to Miami to meet Dr. Aaron Rollins.
Once she was there, the doctor suggested doing a little off her love handles and underneath her jawline too, and her answer was basically, YOLO, let’s do it. She ended up treating three areas in one visit.
In the post below, we’re taking points that Lauryn actually covered in The Bossticks from her own experience.
What Is AirSculpt?
AirSculpt is a patented minimally invasive body contouring procedure from Elite Body Sculpture that removes fat cell by cell through a freckle-sized opening with no scalpels, stitches, or general anesthesia. The procedure was developed by Dr. Aaron Rollins, who Lauryn flew to Miami to see. On the show, Dr. Rollins compared it to drilling into an Oreo! The goal is to remove the creamy center without damaging the cookies.
The skin is the top cookie, the muscle is the bottom, and the fat is the filling you are after. That image stuck with Lauryn, and it is a good one for total beginners.
How Does AirSculpt Work?
Here is the process in plain language, the way the doctor walked through it on the show.
First things first: a small amount of local anesthesia to numb the area. (Not the same as general anesthesia that puts you to sleep.) Next, the surgeon makes a tiny entry point, roughly two millimeters wide, and uses specialized surgical instruments to remove the fat cell by cell.
Dr. Rollins said the tool enters with air pressure rather than a needle, so it feels like a little snap of a rubber band, and it uses that air pressure to spray numbing fluid under the skin.
Then, instead of the back-and-forth scraping motion of old-school lipo, he designed a spinning motion. He said the inspiration came from electric toothbrushes! He wanted to invent the surgical version of a motor-powered tool instead of a hand-powered one.
Because the procedure uses local anesthesia, most patients are moving the same day and get back to work within one to three days.
So what did it actually feel like for Lauryn? She said they gave her a Xanax when she started picking her areas, so by the time she got into the room she was already relaxed, and they numbed her as they went. She also got laughing gas, which she described as feeling like you had four glasses of rose at a boozy brunch talking with friends.
She closed her eyes for the entire thing, which the doctor said he had never seen a patient do before. As for sensation, she said you definitely feel pressure, like something is happening, but you can’t really feel it, and the numbing feels like cold air hitting you.
Lauryn’s conversation with Dr. Rollins goes deep into the full science of how the tool works.
What Areas Can AirSculpt Treat?
People ask about this one constantly, so here is a scannable rundown of the common areas of the body it can address:
- Stomach and abdomen
- Arms (a very common request with aging or after pregnancy)
- Chin and jawline (the double chin area)
- Love handles and waist
- Thighs, knees, and back
- The pubic area, tailbone, and back of the neck
Dr. Rollins explained they do fat transfers all the time, while you are awake, with no needle, scalpel, or stitches, pumping fat out of one area and into the area you want. That includes procedures some people call a BBL, as well as breast filling and a procedure he invented called the hip flip.
As for Lauryn, her three treated areas include: her arms, her love handles, and underneath her jawline.
Does AirSculpt Work, and Is It Permanent?
Dr. Rollins explained that after the age of 14 you don’t make new fat cells, so if we remove them from an area, they are never coming back. But if you gain significant weight, other areas of your body will still grow.
In other words, it is not weight gain insurance. If you gain weight later, it still shows up somewhere else. That is why maintaining a healthy lifestyle still matters, and why Lauryn constantly says that AirSculpt is a tool instead of a solution. She works out, eats a lot of protein, walks daily, and sticks to her list of wellness habits. We cover this in more detail in our guide on healthy weight loss tips with Dr. Peter Attia.
But what about skin tightening? Dr. Rollins explained they tighten the skin by moving the tool so fast, thousands of times per minute, that they create collagen by abrading the underside of the skin with friction.
Results vary by person, and it has limits with real skin laxity. While it offers mild skin tightening, it may not be enough to treat significant laxity. Dr. Rollins said the same thing in his own words: if you’re pinching loose skin instead of fat, Airsculpt isn’t the fix.
Lauryn’s take on her results? She’s a total fan. She said it did exactly what she signed up for, that her jawline looks less puffy on camera, and she’s very happy with her arms.
Is AirSculpt Safe, and Does It Hurt?
AirSculpt is generally considered safe when performed by qualified and experienced surgeons. Because it’s minimally invasive and not an open surgery, you get local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. This can significantly reduce the risks of being put under.
But it IS still surgery. As with any surgery, it carries real side effects. Common side effects include swelling, bruising, and temporary discomfort, and rare complications may involve uneven fat removal, infection, or nerve damage.
To minimize risks, it’s crucial to choose a reputable provider with board-certified surgeons experienced in performing AirSculpt. The company also notes it provides antibiotics before treatment and for two weeks after to lower infection risk.
So how much did it actually hurt for Lauryn? Honestly, according to her own experience, not much. Between the Xanax and the laughing gas, she went as far as to call the whole thing fun! Dr. Rollins explained the process even more on the show, saying patients are wide awake, there is no needle, no scalpel, and no stitches, and that they have what he called a strong safety record.
This is a personal medical decision to make with a qualified provider. Lauryn and Michael are not doctors or plastic surgeons. They share what worked for them, based on their own firsthand experience, and this post is informational, not medical advice. Anyone considering AirSculpt should talk it through with a board-certified provider who can evaluate them individually.
What Is Recovery Like After AirSculpt?
Recovery is where AirSculpt tends to surprise people. In Lauryn’s experience, she was up and walking the beach the next morning, two miles, because she wanted to get her lymphatic system moving. She hit around 10,000 steps a day and eased back into lifting weights only when her body felt ready. She also said there was far less downtime than the liposuction she had seen friends go through.
Most patients return to their daily routines within 48 hours after an AirSculpt procedure. In fact, a lot of people compare the soreness to what you’d feel after an intense workout.
The compression garment, though, was the real villain in Lauryn’s story. She said the hardest part of the entire thing, honestly, was wearing the garment, which has nothing to do with the procedure itself, but you have to wear these contouring compression garments.
As for working out, Lauryn said she was told to wait about four weeks, but she stressed listening to your body and checking with your own doctor. She also leaned hard on her wellness habits to support healing: lymphatic massage, lots of walking, low sodium foods, electrolytes, meditation, acupuncture, and plenty of water.
If you want to support your skin through any recovery, the episode on skin repair with Justin Gardner of Active Skin Repair is a must-listen.
How Much Does AirSculpt Cost?
The short version: Airsculpt doesn’t follow one strict price. Cost depends on your treatment plan, the specific areas of the body being treated, and your location.
On the show, Dr. Rollins explained the pricing in simple terms. He said more areas and more fat mean more time, which means more money. But as far as data goes? Airsculpt pricing starts around $6,000 for small areas and can reach $25,000 or more for multiple or complex areas.
Small areas like the chin or arms tend to land in the lower range, while treating the full abdomen typically falls between $8,000 and $15,000. Full-body transformations covering several areas together can push the final price closer to $20,000 to $25,000.
Two more things to know. First, AirSculpt is a premium option that usually costs more than traditional lipo. Traditional lipo generally costs $3,000 to $7,000 per area while AirSculpt typically runs $6,000 to $11,000 for the same area. Second, because it is a cosmetic procedure, insurance doesn’t cover it, though financing is generally available.
Prices change and vary widely by clinic and geographic location, so treat every number here as a ballpark. Always get a personal quote at a consultation and verify current pricing directly before making any decision.
Is AirSculpt Worth It? Lauryn’s Honest Verdict
Was it worth it for Lauryn? In her words, yes. She said she had a 10 out of 10 experience, that it was so easy it was almost crazy, and that she thinks the technology is absolutely incredible. Even though she wouldn’t go back right now because she’s happy with her results, if she ever wanted an area contoured down the line, she said she would choose Airsculpt.
Debating for yourself? Let’s do a quick pros and cons list.
- The Pros: Minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery, and natural-looking results. It suits patients who prefer a less invasive procedure compared to traditional liposuction.
- The Cons: Limited amount of fat that can be removed in a single session, the potential for minor side effects like swelling and bruising, and the higher cost compared to traditional methods.
Who tends to be a good candidate? Someone close to a stable weight who wants a specific area refined, not someone looking for overall weight loss. And it isn’t the answer for loose skin alone.
Is Airsculpt Worth Considering Over Liposuction?
As much as Lauryn loved her experience, she’s honest about what to expect. Airsculpt can refine and enhance, but it will not do the work for you. She said it’s not one magic wand thing that’s going to change your life, it’s going to enhance your life and refine things, but you have to put in the work in other areas too. If you go in with realistic expectations and a qualified provider, this is a decision you can make clearly for yourself.
For the full, unfiltered breakdown, Lauryn’s experience and her deep-dive interview with Dr. Rollins are both worth a watch. Subscribe to The Bossticks on YouTube so you never miss an episode like this one.
The Bossticks are not doctors, surgeons, or medical professionals. Everything here reflects Lauryn’s personal firsthand experience and what was shared on the show, offered for informational purposes only, not as medical advice. AirSculpt is a real surgical procedure with real risks, so please consult a qualified, board-certified provider about your own situation before making any decision.