Lipo 360/bbl - is this safe if I have sickle cell?

Question

Hello. Back in 2019 I had asked about getting a tummy tuck/lipo possibly and also disclosed that I have sickle cell disease (beta thalassemia / SC ). I also mentioned i Was under and still in care under a hematologist. He cleared me for Bariatric surgery (gastric sleeve). Fast forward , i had my gastric sleeve surgery done in July 2025. i was 245 lbs and as of today sept 10,2026 i am 170lbs. No complications. As for my sickle cells, there still the occasional pain crisis. Not to where I have to be hospitalized . I pretty much manage my pain at home majority of the time. I have an appointment coming up with my hematologist to do blood work (every 4-5 months). Last time my lab results hemagoblin read 12 (it usually be 10). Anyways I’m still thinking about liposuction/tummy tuck because I’m done having kids( i have two already) and possibly a bbl because since I lost the weight my butt seem to left too. Would it be possible to have those surgeries ? I know the risk factors and been doing research and watching videos of other women getting the surgeries and their aftercare vitamins etc.

Yasemin Aydinli, MD · Answer

I will be honest with you, if you came to me as a patient I would still hesitate to do this as a private cosmetic operation, and my advice would be to have it in a large university hospital where the whole stay, including any complication, is covered by your insurance. Sickle cell disease can turn a routine operation into a prolonged admission with a pain crisis, transfusion or intensive care, and that is not something you want to be paying for out of pocket in a cosmetic setting. The medical risks are triggered by dehydration, cooling, low oxygen, blood loss and long anesthesia, so you need written clearance from your hematologist, hemoglobin optimisation before surgery, a short and warm procedure and admission afterwards. I would stage the surgery rather than combine everything, and I would advise against a BBL altogether. Fat transfer to the buttock already carries a risk of fat entering the veins, and in sickle cell disease any vascular event is far more dangerous. A tummy tuck with liposuction of the flanks, done in that setting, is a realistic goal, provided the problem is skin and not intra abdominal fat, in which case further weight loss would come first.

Lipo 360/bbl - is this safe if I have sickle cell?

Answers (1)

More Lipo 360 BBL Questions

Breast reduction, Lipo 360 & BBL + chin, arm, and full back lipo - One surgery or 3 months apart?

BBL or implants after 50 pound weight loss? (Photos)

Multiple sclerosis, liposuction and breast augmentation - Would depleted B cells alone make elective surgery too risky?

Would a standard BBL with fat grafting likely correct my asymmetry and dents? (Photos)

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS