1.5 liters of liposuction. Is that a good amount to remove?

It's difficult to say without examining you in person. 1.5 L of liposuction, would typically mean about 1 L of fat was removed. That is a significant amount of fat to remove from just your arms and chin.  It's important to remember that the amount that is removed is not important. What is important is creating beautiful shape and contour. You chose your surgeon carefully, so trust in their judgment. Give yourself a full 6-9 months to judge your final results. Congratulations on your procedure!

Give yourself time to recover; rest and follow the post-operative guidelines provided by your PS.  A small amount of fat is considered less than 1.5 liters, while a large amount is four to five liters.   A lot of this will be technique and patient dependent and, in some ways, is difficult to predict.  In general, there will be residual swelling after liposuction for several weeks.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Hello, thanks for your question. The total volume of lipoaspirate can vary considerably depending on how much tumescent fluid is used during the procedure. That being said, 1.5L is a significant amount for those areas regardless - you should definitely notice a difference.

Is that 1.5 liters of total aspirate or 1.5 liters of fat? It really depends on your size and how much fat was removed. If remove a different amount of fat for all my liposuction patients, because everyone is a different size. Remember, liposuction is about proper technique as well as removal of the appropriate amount of fat. At this point, focus on your recovery since it is very early.

The amount removed is based on how much tumescent fluid was used and removed, and how much actual fat was removed. Fat removal is what you are wanting. Please discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

1500 mL of fat is a substantial amount of fat to be removed from arms and chin only.
The correct amount to be removed is highly dependent on the size of the person.
That volume would indicate someone has a substantial amount of fat arms.
The chin and neck generally does not deliver large volumes of fat except for unusual cases.
The maximum volume of removed from arms is 1200 mL per side.
Average volume is around 400 mL per side.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom M.D.