Is a 9.6 hemoglobin to low for a BBL?

This is dependent upon a host of factors including the amount of surgery performed, the cause of the anemia, and the treatment necessary to improve that anemia.  In an otherwise healthy person without anemia or other consuming disease, there is usually nothing that needs to be done.  The HgB does not have to be artificially elevated for surgery.  BBL can be performed for most individuals with a hemoglobin above 10 or 11.  Discuss the 9.6 level with your hematologist and PS.  You might want to postpone your BBL until your hemoglobin reaches a satisfactory level. Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

A a level of 9.6 is too low for elective surgery I would recommend you work with your doctor to get your hemoglobin level to a safer level.Best regards,  Dr Michael Gartner

Dear Dolly101,In order to have a safe procedure your hemoglobin levels should be normal. For the BBL lipo will be performed and this will cause blood loss. I recommend you to check with your ObGyn how to control your period and also add Vitamin C 1 gr twice a day to treatment you are already having. Best wishes.

You must know that hemoglobin must be beyond normal in order to have a safe procedure.After the liposuction it is only expected the hemoglobin drops down even more and hemoglobin is needed at normal or close to normal levels  in order to heal normal.So you may have Iron IV infusions or therapy with Eritropoyetin before surgery.Ask your doctor, he/she may advise the best. Dr. Cardenas 

From my standpoint, as long as your primary care MD also feels your depleted hemoglobin is due to menses, I would be comfortable proceeding since there is minimal blood loss with that procedure. However to be on the safe side, it might be worth delaying your surgery one month to confirm your hemoglobin rises with your current interventions.
Dr. Luong

Dear Dolly101,
Thanks so much for your inquiry. Remember that hemoglobin is a very important component of the blood it allows us to know if you are in anemic ranges. Low ranges of hemoglobin could cause complications and make your recovery and healing process to take longer than expected. Normal ranges of Hemoglobin are from 11-14.5 in women, and considering that in any surgical procedure there will be blood loss we recommend that you get your hemoglobin ranges to normality before your surgery. 
Please make sure that you and your surgeon are on the same page. Don't forget to discuss all your concerns, options and expectations thoroughly. 
Have a safe and pleasant PS Journey!
Respectfully, 
Dr. Jaime Campos-Leon 
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
IG drcamposleon
snapchat: tjlipo

Even though a well executed BBL by an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon who does a lot of these procedures can perform this procedure safely with minimal blood loss, it is still worth doing your due diligence and working with your primary MD and/or Hematologist to manage your anemia.

Hello, thank you for your question. The minimum hemo count should be at least 11.5. While making dietary changes may help, it may not make enough of a change in time for surgery. You can talk to your primary doctor about the possibility of intravenous iron treatment. Some surgeons will proceed with surgery, but only if done in a hospital as opposed to the usual outpatient surgery. Best of luck to you!