BodyScan offers DEXA body composition scans, to accurately and precisely measure your body composition - your fat mass, lean mass and bone mass. You can also check our Services page for availability on Osteoporosis scan on your hip and spine to accurately measure your bone density.
Yes, depending on what scan you do, whilst the machine is the same for measuring bone density and body composition, they are two very different types of scan. A Body composition report DOES give a good indication of your bone density but this is only an indication and not a definitive, diagnosable result. In other words, it's not a result a doctor would make any firm decisions on. However if you book for an Osteoporosis scan with us, this will generate a report that will measure your hip and spine bone density which is a gold standard Osteoporosis scan. We can also offer a Body & Bone bundle at certain locations that will do a full body bone scan, a Hip & Spine scan and full body composition report. These are popular with athletes, and are popular with people wanting a better understanding of their overall bone health.
It's perfectly safe to have a DEXA scan during your menstrual cycle.
(The only 'condition' for which you should not have a scan is being pregnant. If you think you may be pregnant, we will not permit you to have a scan.)
However, a scan during or immediately before your period is not advised because you may retain body water that is not present ordinarily. Body water is measured as a component of 'lean body mass', which for all intents and purposes is counted as 'muscle mass'. Lean mass is actually everything that is not fat or bone, so as well as muscle mass it includes your organs, ligaments, tendons, skin - and water.
If you have one scan during your period (or any other time you retain water or experience 'bloat') and another scan without the retention, then a drop of, say, 2kg in body water will appear as a drop in lean mass. But it is not the case that you have lost 2kg of skeletal muscle.
We can never really point to changes in lean body mass and say, “it's all muscle” or “this much is muscle and this much is water.” But it is best practice to be - as far as is possible - in the same physiological state for each scan.
Incidentally, changes in body water will have almost no effect on the DEXA measurement of fat mass.
How old do you have to be to have a scan? The minimum age we can scan is 18 years old.
BodyScan's DEXA scanner has a maximum weight limit of 190kg (that's 418 pounds or 29 stone).
If you are very heavy and very large, your whole body will probably not fit within the width of the scanning table. The DEXA software is ready for this and enables us to position you with your left arm outside the scanning area, and then mirrors the data from your right arm to your left. This is standard practice for clients who are physically very big.
The actual scan takes less than four minutes but your first appointment with a consultation lasts 40 minutes. It is to ensure you fully understand everything in the report, interpret your personal results and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
When you have a follow-up scan to check your progress, the scan is exactly the same but there is no detailed consultation. The appointment is just 20 minutes, which is enough time to briefly discuss what progress you have made since your previous scan.
Ideally we recommend that all your scans take place on the same machine at the same location for the most reliable comparison between scans. Even though our scanners are very closely calibrated, we do not recommend that you regularly switch between machines because of minor differences in calibration. That being said, if you are having to travel long distances and another branch makes more sense for you, then you can use another centre. And remember you can use any of BodyScan or BodyView sites for your scans as we are the same company - please see our locations for more information.
LocationsAll of our Technicians are fully qualified to do DEXA scans, and are extensively trained and qualified to help on your weight loss, bone health or fitness journey. Many of them are also nutritionists or personal trainers, and all of them will be extremely supportive of your goals whatever they are.
It is absolutely fine to have a scan while breastfeeding.
However, it is NOT OK to have a scan while pregnant. We will ask you to confirm your pregnancy status and will not scan you if there is a chance you may be pregnant.
BodyScan is for EVERYONE looking to get in better shape or achieve weight loss or better performance. A lot of people think all our customers are athletes, but they are not. Far from it. In fact, most of our customers are overweight and looking to lose fat or wanting to see if they have Osteoporosis. 60% of our clients are men, 40% are women, and they range from 18-80 years old. Whatever your circumstances and reasons for wanting to know or track your body composition (fat loss or muscle gain) rest assured you will feel completely comfortable and our Technicians will be supportive and non-judgmental.
To prepare for the scan, please do not eat (or eat very light) for four hours beforehand and be normally hydrated with water, tea, etc. Don't over- or under-drink.
Also, do not do any heavy exercise (eg, a gym workout or long run) for the same period.
Please remove as much jewellery as you can before you arrive at the clinic. After you have checked in, empty your bladder before being called.
It's best if you are in the same state for every scan for the most reliable comparison.
If you have any implants of any material or a Pacemaker, again, don't worry, the scan can go ahead as normal. Metal implants will show up as dense bone on your BodyScan report but they will not affect the fat and lean data. There is no risk to the operation of your Pacemaker.
Metal implants/piercings will show up as dense bone on your BodyScan report but they will not affect the fat and lean data. There is no risk to the structure of operation of your implant.
If you have any implants (like a hip or knee replacement) of any material or jewellery or piercings you cannot remove, or a Pacemaker or Cochlear ear implant, don't worry, the scan can go ahead as normal.
The DEXA is a very-low-dose X-ray, and X-rays either pass through objects or they do not.
We do ask that you remove as much jewellery as possible, as we want to measure you, not what you're wearing.
If your doctor has advised you to get a DEXA scan then it will be for an Osteoporosis scan and not a Body Composition scan. Simply select that as an option when booking your appointment.
We have a mixture of male and female Technicians at our different branches, if you require a woman please contact us using support and we will arrange it for you. However, we do also operate a chaperone policy so you can bring someone with you.
If you would like to bring a friend, relative or child with you, they can be with you during the introduction and the consultation but not during the scan itself, which is about four minutes.
(If you are bringing an adult friend with you, who is interested in body composition, please remember we provide discounted scans for two people)
CHILDREN
You can bring a child (infant, toddler or older) with you to the appointment but please remember that the post-scan consultation during the first scan requires your and our technician's attention and focus for 30 minutes, so we respectfully ask for your child's good behaviour please 🙂 We will not be able to give the consultation with the distraction of a crying baby/toddler.
Young children can stay in the room during the 4-minute scan by standing with the consultant behind the safety screen. Older children and others must wait outside in the waiting area while the scan takes place.
CHAPERONES
A chaperone, nurse or carer can be with you during the scan if required. They will have to sign a form to remain in the room during the scan. It would be helpful if you could drop us an email ([email protected]) and let us know in advance.
We recommend about 12-16 weeks (3-4 months) between scans. This is long enough for changes in body composition to have occurred and for you to know that you can stick to your plan; and short enough to keep you motivated and give you a short-term target.
A DEXA body scan is non-intrusive and completely pain free, so there is no need to be anxious or nervous. There are no injections and nothing is attached to you. In fact, many BodyScan clients say they find the experience calming and relaxing and sometimes fall asleep!
You will lie on a padded mattress and a scanning arm will pass over you three times. The DEXA machine is not like an MRI or CT 'doughnut' scanner in that you do not go 'inside' the machine. So don't worry if you suffer from claustrophobia, you will not feel any sense of confinement at all. The scanning arm passes at least 30cm (12 inches) away from your body.
You will need to remain still during the scan but you should be relaxed and breathe normally. Relax and imagine you are lying on the beach! The scan itself takes less than four minutes and the BodyScan operator will be in the room with you and can stop the scan immediately if you feel uncomfortable.
If you have any more questions or concerns ahead of your DEXA scan appointment, please reach out to our friendly team below.
Contact UsThe actual scan takes less than four minutes but your first appointment with a consultation lasts up to 40 minutes. It is to ensure you fully understand everything in the report, interpret your personal results and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
When you have a follow-up scan to check your progress, the scan is exactly the same but there is no detailed consultation. The appointment is just 20 minutes, which is enough time to briefly discuss what progress you have made since your previous scan. One of the pages of your progress report will show precise changes in fat and lean mass between your latest scan and the previous scans.
The DEXA scan uses a tiny dose of ionising radiation (X-rays) to measure your body composition. To put the dose and the risk in perspective, it is equivalent to eating 50 grams of Brazil nuts, and less than one day's normal background radiation that we each receive every day from outer space and the earth's natural radiation.
To put it another way, you are effectively having a DEXA body scan every day without even knowing it. The dose is so low that the Care Quality Commission describes the risk from the radiation dose of a body scan as “negligible”.
Please wear comfortable clothing without metal in. No zippers, poppers, or underwired bras please as metal will show up on the scan and can interfere with the results. Something like leggings or tracksuit bottoms or shorts with a top is ideal.
To check precise availability you should start to make a booking and you'll be presented with a calendar of available dates and times. You can back out of the booking at any time before payment. Each location will have different availability.
Our London opening times are generally:
W1 - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
City - Monday to Friday and some Saturdays
All of your valid prepaid credits will be available for you to see and use when you log into your profile on the website.
If you believe you have credits but when you go to book you still see a price to pay, this is probably because your credits have expired (they are valid 18 months from date of purchase) or you are trying to book a service that the credit does not apply to.
If you are experiencing technical problems with booking online (such as getting into a loop), the issue is almost certainly due to security settings with your browser or your anti-virus software.
The first thing you should do is try another browser - it usually works!
If you still have technical problems, please email [email protected] and someone will be able to help.
We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Full payment is required at the time of booking and we operate a 24-hour cancellation policy.
You do not need your own doctor's referral to book a scan with us (unless you suffer from or are recovering from an eating disorder).
When you book your appointment with us, you will be required to complete a self-assessment form which our practitioner oversees.
If you have been given a gift voucher code for a scan, simply follow the link in the gift voucher email and this will be redeemed during the booking process.
During your initial 40-minute appointment, your technician will spend the majority of your appointment time with you going through all of the results in your report. However during the follow up appointment, this is a shorter 20-minute appointment where your results are directly compared with your previous visit to monitor your progress.
If you and a friend/relative have an initial scan for two people, that is a single appointment for both of you, which one of you will book.
If, at the end of the appointment, you buy prepaid credits for future progress (follow-up) scans, you need to know that each of you will need your own credits for you to use on your own next appointment.
Because progress scans are for one person only, you do not have to attend at the same time or even on the same day. Even if you do want to visit BodyScan together, you will each need to book adjacent - but separate - appointments.
The person booking the scan must be the person who will have the scan. Please never book a scan for another person on your own account.
The only exception to this is when you book an initial scan with an extra person, for which you will make the booking and include the details of your scan partner as the second participant.
If someone you know wants to have a body scan, they must book the scan themselves with all their own details (name, address, date of birth, reason for having the scan, etc).
If you wish to give a scan as a gift, then please buy a gift voucher for them. This is easier for everyone as it means they can pick the most convenient date, time and location, and the price of the scan will be hidden when they make their booking. To purchase a gift for someone else, you can do so below. Gift Vouchers
When you want to book a scan for two people, simply follow the Book Now process and you can add on an extra person, providing their name and contact details. This process treats you as two different customers but allows you to have a joint appointment.
Yes, we offer the service to book an appointment for two people on all packages.
Two-person appointments are exactly the same as a single appointment but a joint booking (be prepared for your buddy to see your results!) and is a bit cheaper than buying two individual scans.
If you have persistent problems making a booking it is almost certainly due to the security or anti-virus software/settings on your computer. Please try another browser and it will usually work.
If you continue to have problems, you can phone us and we can talk you through the process.
BodyScan discount and promotion codes are only valid against selected scans, and NOT pre-paid packages. The terms and validity of any code will vary depending on the promotion. If your code doesn't work it's because the offer has expired or doesn't apply to your selected scan.
Our 24-hour cancellation policy means that if you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment you will forfeit your full payment or the pre-paid credit you have used. We will only waive this policy at our absolute discretion.
NOTE: All cancellations and changes must be made at least 24 hours before the start time of your appointment. Once inside the 24-hour window, your appointment will be 'locked out'.
Changes/cancellations within 24 hours of your appointment
If you are inside the 24-hour window please email [email protected] as soon as you know you will not be able to make it.
Please understand that a cancellation means we lose a paid slot that we can no longer sell, and rebooking your appointment means we have to take out another slot.
We are only open on some Saturdays at the City (Cornhill) location. We are not open on Sundays.
BodyScan City (on Cornhill near Bank tube station) is usually open on alternate Saturdays.
BodyScan W1 (Marylebone) is not open at weekends.
When you start to make a booking, once you have picked your preferred location you will be presented with a calendar of available dates and times.
All our bookings are taken online so please check the website for appointment availability.
To book using one of your pre-paid package credits, you need to log into your profile on the website. All of your available credits will be on your profile dashboard.
LoginAll our prices are on our Services page.
Our most common service is for DEXA Body Composition scan which is £189 for an initial appointment and £129 for a follow-up appointment.
Book NowPrepaid credits are valid for 18 months from the date of purchase. Please note that the expiry date of any prepaid credit is the date by which you need to have had the scan; it is not the date by which you need to have made the booking.
To book using one of your pre-paid package credits, you first need to log in to your profile. Once you are logged in, your valid credits will show and you can simply select Book Appointment to complete your booking.
If you have a booking made with a credit and you are unable to change the date, the most likely reason is that your credit expires before the new date you want to move to. Credits are valid for 18 months, and the expiry date is the last date by which your scan needs to take place.
You can check the expiry date of your package by logging in and selecting View Credits.
Until 31 December 2024, you can cancel a package only if it has not expired and still has unused scans.
From 1st January 2025, prepaid credits cannot be cancelled more than 30 days after purchase.
Starting 1 January 2025, credits can no longer be extended. You can check your remaining credits and their expiry date by logging into your account.
LoginJust log in to your profile and select View Credits. You'll see everything you need to know about your credits there.
From 1st January 2025 you will not be able to extend credits beyond their expiry date, or cancel a credit 30 days after purchase.
Providing your details have been entered correctly and you have opted in for notifications, we will send reminders via text and email at six, three, and one month before expiry.
It is your responsibility to use all prepaid scan credits before their expiry date.
Scan credits are assigned to your account and cannot be shared with others.
1. Credits are not transferable to other people; the person in whose name all scans are booked must be the same person who has each scan.
2. All scans, whether purchased individually or in packages, cannot be taken more frequently than once every 12 weeks (84 days).
3. All packages have a validity period of 18 months from date of purchase (not from the date of your first booked scan).
4. Use your credit before the expiry date.
5. It is your responsibility to know when your credits expire and how many scan credits you have left. You can manage all aspects of your BodyScan account by logging in to your account. BodyScan will send reminders at six, three, and one month before expiry, but it is still your responsibility to ensure credits are used while valid.
6. CREDIT EXTENSIONS: From 1st January 2025 prepaid credits will not be extended beyond their expiry date.
7. Promotional codes do not apply to packages, as they are already discounted.
8. CANCELLATIONS: From 1st January 2025, a prepaid credit cannot be cancelled more than 30 days after its purchase date.
Yes, we offer all packages for two people. The prices are shown when you start your booking from our Services page.
The visceral fat result on your DEXA scan is a measurement of internal fat in a specific area of the abdomen. This result is closely correlated with measurements by CT scan.
You will not 'see' visceral fat on the DEXA image and therefore we cannot tell you how much is around particular organs, but that is not really important - visceral fat should be reduced wherever it lies. If you want to see visceral fat then you will need a CT scan, which is many times more expensive and hundreds of times the dose of radiation. A DEXA scan is the next best thing.
Visceral fat is termed 'bad' fat because it surrounds the internal organs (such as your heart, lungs and liver) and is associated with obesity-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer and stroke. Even dementia.
You can see an example of our reports below:
Example ReportsThe 4-minute scan you get is exactly the same for both appointments. During both appointments you will receive your results straight away, but in two different formats. The differences are:
1. Immediately after the initial scan, there is a detailed post-scan consultation that explains everything in the report. We also suggest targets to reach your goal. The initial scan is a 40-minute appointment (60 minutes for two people).
2. The follow up scan report is a condensed version of the report which compares your information with your previous visit. A full version is available online when you log into your profile. Because the changes are shown on the report, there is no post-scan consultation and the appointment is just 20 minutes.
Each customer receives a printed copy of the report and a digital copy is securely accessible via your profile login.
The paper report is produced immediately after the scan and your consultant will go through it with you - this is the same copy that you'll take home.
The scan and the post-scan consultation will show how your fat is distributed around your body, in your arms, legs and trunk (torso).
Both men and women can have the fat characteristics of either sex, where the fat is held mainly in your upper body (male distribution, apple-shaped) or limbs/lower body (female distribution, pear-shaped).
We can't do anything about our fat distribution (sadly!) but it's good to know. Fat in the upper body can lead to high levels of internal visceral fat, which is associated with obesity-related diseases like type-2 diabetes.
In the initial consultation we'll tell you how your muscle is distributed around your body.
The report shows you your left-right imbalances but BodyScan's huge DEXA dataset means we can also plot your muscle distribution across arms, legs and trunk (torso). This top-to-bottom distribution is not in the DEXA machine data itself, but it can only be generated thanks to our BodyCompPro software which has accrued 26,000 scans and is the biggest dataset known.
If your muscle distribution is uneven, you can even things out by focusing resistance training on particular muscle groups. But an uneven distribution may be expected due to your favourite activity - eg, we'd expect a keen cyclist to have more muscle in their legs than elsewhere!
You can see an example of our reports below:
Example ReportsNo, a DEXA scan is not a good tool to detect osteoarthritis.
DEXA bone scans are designed to detect low bone density (osteopenia and osteoporosis), whereas osteoarthritis is about the joints between the bones. They are often confused as they can often occur together.
The BodyScan DEXA report gives you a great deal of information, much more than just your body fat percentage.
In terms of body composition, the report shows the following for each arm, each leg and trunk (and head) and total:
The scan also gives you these indices for your whole body:
The scan will also provide an indication of your bone density (BMD), with these data points for each arm, each leg, left-side ribs, right-side ribs, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, pelvis and head. Note you should not track bone density with whole-body scans. The bone density results are just an indication.
No, a DEXA body scan will not show body water or water retention as a separate component.
DEXA measures bone mass (bone mineral content), fat mass and “lean mass”. Lean mass is everything that is not body fat or bone and therefore includes, muscle, organs, skin, connective tissue etc … and water.
Big changes in body water (caused, for example, by your menstrual cycle, steroid use, creatine, carb loading or depletion) will affect your lean mass result, but we cannot say what is 'retained' or 'excess' fluid/body water.
Typically, over the long term, body water is stable, so we can read changes in lean mass as a change in skeletal muscle mass. We advise that, where possible, you come to BodyScan in the same physiological state for every scan.
When you emerge from Exit 3 you will be in the front of the Bank of England, with Cornhill to your right. Walk about 150m up Cornhill past the Royal Exchange and BodyScan City (36-38 Cornhill) is on the other side of the road, opposite the Louis Vuitton store, on the corner of Cornhill and Birchin Lane.
An alternative is Exit 6 to Lombard Street and King William Street.
When you emerge from Exit 6 you are in Lombard Street. Walk straight ahead and you will pass a Pret and a Sainsbury's Local on the right and a Gymbox on the left. About 100-150m from the tube exit you will see Birchin Lane on the left. Walk down Birchin Lane and our side entrance is towards the end on the right (there is a 'Stonehealth Clinic' above the entrance).
If you have any more questions or concerns ahead of your appointment, please get in touch with our friendly team.
If you get the tube to Monument, you can walk to Bank station below street level and then use Exit 3 from Bank to reach Cornhill.
You can also walk from Monument above ground - there are no exit numbers at Monument station (unlike Bank station) - follow signs King William Street. Once out of the station, walk north-west along King William Street towards Bank, right into Nicholas Lane, diagonally right into Birchin Lane and we are Stonehealth Clinic at the end on the right.
Use Google Maps to be safe - search for EC3V 3NG or BodyScan (London City).
We have two BodyScan clinics in central London and our parent company BodyView also has other locations - go to the Locations page to find out where is most convenient for you.
BodyScan City is just a few steps from Bank tube and BodyScan W1 is less than ten minutes' walk from both Baker Street and Regent's Park tubes. The full addresses are on our Contact page.
If you're coming from outside London, the City location is easy to get to by tube from Euston, King's Cross, Waterloo and Liverpool Street (walking distance).
W1 is easy by tube from Paddington, Marylebone and Euston Square.
Because our clinics are in central London, we advise everyone not to drive because of limited parking and heavy traffic. Almost everyone who drives is late.
We are within a few minutes' walk of Bank and Monument tubes for City, and Regent's Park and Baker Street tubes for W1. Our locations are on our Locations page.
If you must drive, please Google 'parking in Westminster' (for W1) and 'City of London parking' (for City). Unfortunately, new restrictions and road changes have made driving in London even more difficult, so public transport is really the best option if you can.
BodyScan has two clinics - W1 in Marylebone, and City near the Bank of England.
Whilst the scanning room in the City is the bigger of the two, if you are concerned about disabled access, we strongly recommend you to book BodyScan W1 in Marylebone.
W1 has very good wheelchair access with step-free access from the road outside to the scanning room. The City location does not have good wheelchair access from outside because of seven steps to the door of the building and a few more inside.
If you need access without any steps or obstructions, please book at BodyScan W1.
At BodyScan we do our very best to ensure we run to time. Please note that we run appointments back-to-back, so a late start with one appointment can have a knock-on effect.
For this reason, please ensure you arrive 10 minutes before your appointment start time. The time of your appointment is the time you should be ready to walk into the scanning room, after checking in, completing the pre-appointment questions, using the restroom and removing excess jewellery.
If you are late to the point that we cannot start the following appointment on time we may require that you wait until a suitable gap in the schedule becomes available. That may mean, on a busy day, that we cannot scan you for hours later or even at all.
We will appreciate a phone message to tell us if you are running late but it does not mean that we will be able to see you as scheduled. We will always give priority to customers who arrive on time. Thank you for your understanding.
We have known many customers to make claims on their private or work medical insurance. However, every insurer has different levels of coverage and policies. Therefore, we recommend checking with your specific health provider for further information.
If you'd like to buy a gift voucher for someone, you can do so through the website and complete required information, including your name and the recipient's information. You can either choose to buy an entire service or a monetary value towards a future appointment.
Gift VouchersThe DEXA scan cannot provide a 3D image of your body. However at some locations we may be able to perform a separate 3D body scan using another machine - please check our Locations page for more information on the services that are available.
To log in to your account, simply Login to your profile. If you have forgotten your login details, you can reset this below.
Forgot PasswordIf you'd like to call us, the number is 020 3490 4171, but please be aware that our phones are answered by a third-party call-handling service.
Therefore, if you would like any detailed information about our service, or your enquiry needs to be addressed by a member of the BodyScan team, please email us at [email protected] with your phone number and tell us what you'd like to speak about and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
BodyScan uses a Hologic Discovery 'A' DEXA scanner at both locations. The scan time is less than four minutes, meaning we can spend maximum time discussing your results.
(The other main manufacturer of DEXA scanners is GE but we much prefer the Hologic technology - the report gives more information and a better image.)
It is not reliable to compare results between different manufacturers due to differences in their proprietary scanning algorithms, so if you have had a scan on a different model you should treat your first scan with BodyScan as a new initial consultation and book all your future scans at the same location.
If you have a business enquiry about marketing or a partnership, please contact us below.
Contact UsWe get a lot of requests to film scans.
If you are filming for yourself then we ask that you bring a small tripod as we can only have one person in the scanning room during the scan.
Please email [email protected] to let us know. If it is very busy we may suggest you move to another date as we will not run late.
If you are filming for a bigger project (eg, broadcast media or high-subscriber YouTube) and need to bring a videographer or film crew, you will need to let us know in advance so we can accommodate you.
Contact Us