"Subcutaneous fat is the fat immediately below the skin and above the muscle layer," Machineni said. It's typically found on the buttocks, thighs or upper arms, and is the type of fat you can sort of see or kind of move around if you touch the skin on top of it. "It's not strongly associated with any health impairments," Machineni said.
"Visceral fat is fat inside the abdominal cavity, surrounding the abdominal organs or viscera," Kirkman added. These organs include the liver, pancreas and intestines. "We used to think that all fat was primarily just storage tissue, and that it didn't otherwise do much. It turns out that subcutaneous fat is primarily just for storage, but visceral fat is much more active. It secretes hormones and inflammatory factors that contribute to insulin resistance, cholesterol/triglyceride abnormalities, and risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer."
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