Full-body scans, compared
A full-body scan can mean an hour in an MRI machine, a few minutes under a DEXA arm or 30 seconds on a smart scale. Here's what each kind reads, how long it takes, how often people do it and what it costs, with Soma Axon among them.
| Who offers it | What it reads | How long | How often | Price | Radiation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-body MRI | Prenuvo, Ezra (Function Health), SimonMed | Images of your organs and tissue, looking for tumors, aneurysms, brain changes, fatty liver and spine problems | 22 to 60 minutes | Once a year, the providers suggest | About $899 to $2,499 | None |
| DEXA scan | BodySpec, DexaFit | Body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density | About 7 to 11 minutes | Every 3 to 6 months, the providers suggest | About $40 to $185 | A very low dose of X-rays |
| 3D body scanner | Fit3D and Styku, in gyms | Your body's shape and measurements, estimated fat and lean mass, posture | Under a minute | Every 30 to 90 days, Fit3D suggests | Set by each gym | None |
| Smart scale | Withings BodyScan 2 | Weight, body composition by zone, heart rate, vascular age and a 6-lead ECG | 30 seconds, or 90 for the weekly scan | Every morning | $599.95 for the scale | None |
| Skin check | Dermatology practices | A head-to-toe look at your skin, sometimes with photos to follow moles | About 10 to 30 minutes | Once a year, the Skin Cancer Foundation suggests | Free at AAD events, or about $75 to $300 out of pocket | None |
| Clinic health scan | Neko Health | Skin photos reviewed by a dermatologist, 12-lead ECG, blood pressure, body fat, grip, eye pressure and more than 50 blood biomarkers | About an hour, half of it with a clinician | As you and your clinician decide | $499 in New York | None |
| Weekly pod | Soma Axon, being built | Skin photos, heart and breathing, ECG, EEG, thermal imaging, body composition, balance and grip strength | A few minutes | Once a week | Not announced | None |
What each kind reads
These scans look at different things. A whole-body MRI images your organs. A DEXA scan measures what you're made of, down to bone density. A 3D scanner measures your shape, and a smart scale estimates your body composition with a very small electrical current. A clinic scan like Neko Health's puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Soma Axon will read your skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength in one visit, the same way every week.
Radiation
Of the scans above, only DEXA uses X-rays, at a very low dose. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves. Some imaging clinics add CT scans of the heart or lungs, and those use X-rays too. The others read you with light, cameras, sensors you touch or a small electrical current.
Scans meant to find disease
The American College of Radiology says there isn't enough evidence to recommend whole-body screening for people with no symptoms, risk factors or family history, and it warns that incidental findings can lead to more tests and costs. For skin, the US Preventive Services Task Force says the evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of routine skin exams in people without symptoms. If you're thinking about a scan to look for disease, it's worth talking it through with your doctor first.
Where Soma Axon fits
Soma Axon won't image your organs, and it won't diagnose anything. It's a general wellness product. What it's being built for is the change over time: your skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength, read in a few minutes, once a week, under the same light and with the same instrument. A check-up reads you once a year. Soma reads you every week.
Questions people ask
What is a full-body scan?
It depends on who's offering it. It can mean a whole-body MRI that images your organs, a DEXA scan that measures fat, lean mass and bone, a 3D scan of your shape, a smart scale's body composition reading or a clinic visit that combines several instruments. They read different things, so it's worth asking what a scan measures before you book it.
Does a full-body scan use radiation?
MRI doesn't: it uses a magnetic field and radio waves, and Prenuvo, Ezra and SimonMed all describe their scans as radiation-free. DEXA uses a very low dose of X-rays, and CT scans use X-rays too. Soma Axon uses no X-rays, no CT and nothing else ionizing.
Is Soma Axon a full-body MRI?
No. It isn't an MRI and it doesn't take images of your organs. It reads you with cameras, light and sensors you touch: your skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength, once a week.
How often should you get a full-body scan?
Each kind has its own rhythm. Prenuvo suggests a yearly MRI for most adults over 40, DEXA providers suggest every 3 to 6 months and Fit3D every 30 to 90 days. Soma Axon is built for a weekly visit, so you can see how your readings change from one week to the next.
Do doctors recommend full-body scans?
The American College of Radiology doesn't recommend whole-body screening for people with no symptoms, risk factors or family history. Talk to your doctor before you book a scan meant to find disease. Soma won't diagnose anything, and if something keeps looking off, the app points you to a clinician.
Sources, read on
- American College of Radiology: statement on total body MRI screening (2023)
- Prenuvo: what we offer
- Prenuvo: FAQ
- Ezra: pricing
- Function Health: imaging
- SimonMed: SimonONE full-body MRI
- BodySpec: DEXA FAQ
- DexaFit Cleveland: DEXA scan
- Fit3D: the customer experience
- Styku: 3D body scanner
- Withings: BodyScan 2
- Neko Health: the health scan (US)
- Skin Cancer Foundation: annual skin exams
- American Academy of Dermatology: free skin cancer screenings
- US Preventive Services Task Force: skin cancer screening (2023)