Lose Weight Before Smart Lipo?

I'm about 55 lbs. over my ideal weight of 135. I'm 5'5 1/2" and I've never had to worry about weight till recently. I'm looking at having Smart Lipo done. I'm a 38-year-old female who has had one child 17 years ago. Can I have the procedure done the way I am now or do I need to lose weight? If so how much?

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by Alliething in Orange County, California

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Weight loss before liposuctioning

This has always been a controversial topic in plastic surger. liposuctioning was never meant to be a weight loss device(and still is not) and has traditionally been denied to patients who are significantly overweight. What is interesting is that there are some overweight patients who have benefited greatly from liposuctioning regardless of their obesity. I look at everyone individually and decide along with the patient if they are candidates or whether they need to lose weight first. If... more

Weight Loss Before Liposuction

You can have the procedure done the way you are since liposuction is not a weight loss vehicle, it’s body contouring. Liposuction works best in areas they won’t budge even when you lose weight. Lots of my patients sometimes need liposuction as motivation. For example, if we did liposuction on your abdomen and then you lose weight, the weight will come off other areas.

Bruce Katz, MD

9 reviews

New York Dermatologic Surgeon

www.juvaskin.com

Lose Weight before your procedure

Don't view liposuction or SmartLipo as a weight loss tool, rather consider it a method to sculpt or carve away the difficult fat areas to get you a better body appearance. Patients who get the best results with liposuction or SmartLipo are those who are at or near their ideal weight. This weight should be obtained by establishing an exercise regimen and a stable healthy diet that you are comfortable with and can maintain after the procedure, not by crash dieting. Once the diet and... more

Weight loss before liposuction

You should always lose weight down to within 10-15 pounds of your goal weight before any body contouring surgery to get the best result. Also, to get the best result you should see some Board Certified plastic surgeons regarding liposuction and realize that Smartlipo is primarily marketing and hasn't been shown to be better than traditional liposuction in the hands of an experienced surgeon. Many Smartlipo practitioners are not real plastic surgeons so be careful there.