Which state allows the most amount of fat to be removed from a patient via Liposuction?

Hi and thanks for your question. As pointed out previously, here in our State of Florida the total supernatant fat allowed to be removed in an out patinet setting is 4 liters. When combined with other procedurees such as a tummy tuck, the limit is 1 liter. Make sure you discuss your goals clearly with the surgeon you eventually choose.Always seek out the opinion of a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with years of experience in liposuction . Furthermore request to see before and after photos of previous patients by that doctor....not a clinic or surgery center. Do your homework......research and verify the doctor's credentials. Have they had problems with the Board of Medicine, disciplinary or otherwise. Any law suits? How about the center, clinic or facility? Are they accredited by a national organization or do they just have State approval. Understand that at the current time, there are three nationally recognized organizations responsible for the highest levels of patient safety, AAAASF, AAACH and JCHO. You owe it to yourself to position yourself for the best possible results but under the most stringent safety regulations, If you have kids, even more so.How about anesthesia? Will you have a medical doctor certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or a certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA)? Understand that there is no substitute for research. Cosmetic surgery, no matter how simple it may be to the patients, are invasive procedures and as such carry certain risks and complications. Good luck, Dr. PG

Thanks for your question. While you can liposuction several areas at once there is a limit to how much fat can be removed safely. Risks from liposuction increase significantly when over 5 liters of fat are suctioned out. We usually stay below this limit for patient safety. We’ve found that we’re able to achieve dramatic improvements for our patients with 2 to 4 liters of liposuction, depending on their needs.

Most surgeons will hold the liposuction to 5 liters in the outpatient setting.  Find
a tummy tuck and liposuction expert who
performs hundreds each year and has great reviews and great
before and after pictures.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

The limits in Florida are for office based surgeries.  If liposuction is done in the office setting, you have a limit of 4 liters.  If liposuction in the office setting is combined with another procedure, say a tummy tuck, the limit is 1 liter.  These limits do not apply in the hospital based setting or ambulatory surgical center setting. 

In Florida the limit is determined very carefully and thoughtfully to maximize patient safety as an outpatient procedure. If you are willing to be admitted to hospital and stay over night the law may allow more fat to be removed. Florida is a leader in patient safety and advocacy. You can shop for larger limits on liposuction at your own risk.

You truly DO NOT understand the Florida Board of Medicine rules. 4 liters can be removed via liposuction of supernatant fat in an office operating suite as a maximum. In a Ambulatory Surgical Center the limit is the judgement of the surgeon and that center. In hospital operating rooms the same amounts apply as to the judgement. BTW in hospital is where I do large volume liposuctions, up to 12 liters I have personally removed (costs are very hight $20,000+). IF you are combining surgeries as in a Tummy Tuck plus Lipo than the in  office rule is ONLY 1 liter of fat.. As far as other states doing combination surgery rules I think NJ it is 5 liters but not sure... Hope this was helpful to you...  

Not all states have regulations on total fat removal. Expert panels from three different medical societies have established that more than 5000cc of fat removal at one time is not safe. I have served on two of these panels. Some doctors recommend larger removal be done in a hospital, although I always wonder: "why do unsafe liposuction at all?"Generally large volume liposuctions mean that the patient is overweight, and liposuction is not a treatment for obesity, but instead is intended for localized areas of fat removal.Furthermore liposuction can be done bit by bit in a series of procedures if needed for safety. There is no need for large volume liposuction.

Many states have no limits as to how much fat can be removed via liposuction, however Florida does have limits. During an open procedure such as tummy tuck, we can only remove 1 liter of fat not including the fat and skin removed during the tummy tuck itself. 

I am concerned about the implications of this question as I don't think health issues and risks should be decided by or "allowed" by the state (or feds). The issue is good surgery, minimizing risks, and treating patients well, not which state can I get away with the most fat removal. One issue is that a full tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is a borderline outpatient procedure by itself and if you start adding other procedures you are increasing the magnitude of the surgery, the stress to the patient, and recovery issues as well as resulting risks. Another factor to consider is that liposuction doesn't do well in areas of surgical treatment as in a tummy tuck and adding liposuction to other areas outside of the abdomen adds to the surgical stress and amount of area operated on. Usually liposuction is best done separately from tuck procedures at least in the area of the tuck. The problem in liposuction is also not the amount of fat removed but the amount of blood loss that goes along with it and to a lesser extent, the amount of lidocaine and epinephrine used to prepare the area. Today with tumescent technique, liposuction can be done under local anesthesia and the amount of blood loss and stress to the body is minimal even with large amounts or areas of suction. This allows non-plastic surgeons or even non-surgeons to do liposuction in a non-accredited office setting which has resulted in some problems and complications that the State of Florida reacted to. I would recommend looking for an experienced board certified plastic surgeon who can do liposuction separately under local anesthesia and then consider the tummy tuck as a separate procedure in an accredited outpatient surgical setting.