Fat is metabolically active tissue that synthesizes and secrets hormones. Fat tissue plays a role in insulin sensitivity, inflammatory process, medication, and more.
Subcutaneous fat is layers of fat that lies beneath the skin. It is fat that can pinch beneath your fingers that fat distributed throughout your entire body. Where ever you have skin, you have a layer of subcutaneous fat beneath it.
Visceral fat lies deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding and at times wrapping around vital organs, such as the kidneys, pancreas, and liver. You cannot see or feel visceral fat. But the effects of visceral fat located so close to these organs increase the resistance for many serious health conditions. Visceral fat pumps immune system and inflammatory chemicals, which researchers believe probably enters the nearby portal vein of the intestine. These chemicals are then carried to the liver and cause cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and other serious conditions.
If you are pear shaped (fat in lower part of body) your fat is like by be subcutaneous.
If most of your fat is in the upper part of your body (abdominal area) you are likely to have a large amount of visceral fat.