What are the qualifications for lipo? I am 290 pounds and around 5'5".

Liposuction can be done anytime on healthy patients. If you have been dieting and exercising and are at a plateau, then lipo will be great to do now and help get you going again. 

Hello, and thank you for your question. Based on your height and weight, I recommend losing weight prior to having surgery. Your weight should also be stable for a few months prior to elective surgery. Liposuction only removes subcutaneous fat, and based on your BMI, I think you would be dissatisfied with liposuction. Subcutaneous fat is the fat you can "pinch." Any fat on the organs, beneath the skin, is not removed with liposuction. After massive weight loss, many patients have excess skin, and cosmetic surgery is a great answer for them as we can remove fat and skin at the same time. Best of luck.

Hello and thank you for the question. Based on your height and weight, your BMI is 48. You should be less than 30-35 prior to considering plastic surgery. I would start by consulting a weight loss specialist. I would also consider seeing a bariatric surgeon for weight-loss surgery. Best,Pejman Aflaki, M.D.Johns Hopkins-trained plastic surgeon