How To Prepare for a Dexa Scan (5 Steps)

• What is a Dexa Scan?

• How to Prepare for your Dexa Scan: 5 Easy Steps

• What does the scan do?

• Results: What you’ll learn

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Dexafit provides many health and wellness tools, benefits, and information to help people get the most out of their fitness journey. One of our most popular services is the Dexa (DXA) Scan, and there are several steps you need to take to prepare for it.

Dexa scan preparation is easy and painless. That said, these protocols are requirements that everyone must follow in order to get an accurate and safe Dexa scan reading.

What is a Dexa Scan?

The Dexa (DXA) Scan is an FDA approved procedure that gives you a closer look at your body than you have ever had before. It offers you an advantage in meeting and surpassing your health and weight loss goals while also returning data on how you're doing on the inside.

The DXA in Dexa Scan stands for Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. This means that the scan uses two (dual) X-ray beams to scan your body in a thorough yet noninvasive way. Due to this, we can guarantee that the exposure to radiation is low.

How long does a Dexa Scan take?

The DXA Scan itself is brief, taking between 7-12 minutes to completely and accurately test your body composition. Positioning can take a minute or two longer depending on your body type.

The two X-ray beams scan your body from top to bottom, carefully measuring your bone density, muscle composition, as well as the amount of fat you carry and how it is distributed throughout your body.

Before undergoing the scan, however, there are a few ways to prepare.  

How to Prepare for Your Dexa Scan

All preparations take place just moments before the scan and are all extremely easy. Many people find the Dexa Scan to be super convenient because it allows them to pop in and out without much hassle.

1. What to wear

When it comes to what to wear for a Dexa Scan, you should wear tights, compression shorts, or other workout clothes. Don't wear loose clothes that are bulky, such as jeans or pants with lots of pockets.

Small buttons or zippers that cannot be removed from clothing are fine, but not having these is a plus.

We recommend that women wear a supportive bra (like a sports bra) for the Dexa Scan.

At some locations, your DexaFit specialist may provide a gown for you to wear during the scan. You can call your specialist and ask whether or not this is something they’ll provide for you.

Lastly, please wear socks!

2. Remove all metal and jewelry

Prior to your Dexa Scan, your specialist will ask you to empty your pockets and remove all metal and jewelry. Common metal materials you carry around may include keys, watches, earrings, rings, belt, glasses, etc.

3. Avoid calcium supplements and other substances

Stop taking calcium supplements 24 hours before your scan. This includes multivitamins as well as antacids such as TUMS®.

In addition, do not have any gastrointestinal contrast, barium or other contrast medium, or radionuclides within 48 hours of your appointment.

4. Fast for two hours prior to the scan

For the clearest scan results, we ask that you please fast for two hours prior to your Dexa Scan.

5. Stay hydrated

Please arrive plenty hydrated for your Dexa Scan.

We also ask that you limit your activity prior to the scan. Please don’t exercise until after the scan is complete and your DexaFit specialist gives you the ok.

Bonus Step: Download the DexaFit App

If you want to come to your appointment even more prepared, you can also download the free DexaFit mobile app called “Fit AI” for iOS and Android.

Simply download the app, create an account with your email address as the username, and your results will appear in the app after your scan is complete and the data is processed!

Once this has been done, you'll take the scan and be done with the whole procedure in thirty minutes or less. After the scan, most people return to their daily activities without issue.

Avoid a Dexa Scan if Pregnant

If you’re pregnant or suspect you might be pregnant, be sure to alert your physician as well as the x-ray technologist. Though the scan is safe, there are further adjustments that can be made to minimize exposure and risk to your baby.

While you can certainly take the scan while pregnant, we do recommend waiting until after your baby is born, if possible.

What Exactly Does the Scan Do?

The Dexa Scan is designed and used to identify any and all problems, diseases, and conditions in the body. By looking at bone mass, bone mineral density, and body composition, the scan can check for certain diseases like liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis before they actually occur.

The scan looks for internal warning signs of these diseases that might not show themselves until after its too late, giving you a useful advantage in reclaiming your health before problems develop.

In addition to looking for these diseases, the Dexa Scan can also find weak points in your body and other risk factors. These weak points include areas where muscle mass is thinning, if there is any bone loss, or where fractures are more likely to happen. With this knowledge, you can give special attention to these areas to strengthen them to lower the fracture risks or chance of breaking a bone.

Finally, the Dexa Scan also measures your body composition. This includes the amount of body fat you carry as well as how and where it is carried in the body.

The Dexa Scan returns measurement data on deep belly fat, also known as visceral fat, and can be used to help identify and diagnose certain diseases and health problems like cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and type-2 diabetes.

The scan is so thorough that it will be able to find excess fat between organs, identify problem areas, and determine issues like high cholesterol and metabolic disturbances. With the Dexa Scan, you are really getting a behind-the-scenes look at your body, giving you the knowledge and control you need to prevent health issues, lose weight, and improve your overall fitness.

Results: What You'll Learn and How to Proceed

After the Dexa Scan, your test results will return data on your percentage of visceral fat, weak points within the body, warning signs of possible health issues and diseases, and more. You’ll be able to access the data yourself on the Fit AI mobile app.

The information from your results might be overwhelming at first, but it offers you a comprehensive look at where your body is health-wise.

The results of your Dexa Scan are meant to help you know how much exercise you need, the type of diet you should start, the best ways to build muscle mass, and how to pull your body into the best shape of your life.

You can learn how to target specific problem areas of visceral fat, thinning muscle, and brittle bones as well as gain pointers on how to improve fitness and overall health and wellbeing.

Creating workouts, dietary plans, and wellness goals around the specific needs of your body are important steps for feeling better and living longer.

For example, with the help of the Dexa Scan, you can identify the exact location of lean muscle in your body. This information is important because lean muscle plays an important role in the regulation of your metabolism as well as prevents bone thinning and helps prevent chronic diseases and pathologic conditions.

Focusing on your muscles and strengthening them also improves blood sugar, sleep, and your balance! When your blood sugar is regulated, your balance is stable, and your sleep is sound and refreshing, you will find that your quality of life improves exponentially.

Imagine how much better you can feel and look when you work on improving the different areas indicated in your Dexa Scan results.

Why You Should Get a Dexa Scan

In short, the Dexa Scan has the power to improve your life. This scan offers a simple way to tremendously alter how you view your health and wellness, while also giving you the tools to change how you approach fitness and diet.

The scan also helps you to work closely with your doctor about potential issues with your body. By pinpointing and determining problem areas, you and your doctor can make plans prevent and handle any health issues that come your way.

Furthermore, the Dexa Scan prep is easy to follow and makes for a fast appointment.

Sign Up for Yours Today!

The Dexa Scan is all about the individual. It provides accurate results about your body that help you understand it better than ever. This information is absolutely priceless when it comes to finding ways to improve your health, wellness, and quality of life.

If a Dexa Scan sounds like a great idea to you, you can sign up for one today. We have locations from San Francisco, California to Boca Raton, FL, and just about everywhere in between.

When you find a location nearest you, you can easily set up an appointment to get your own Dexa Scan done!