Is it possible to liposuction more if the patient stays overnight in the hospital?

Some states allow large volume liposuction over 5 liters to be performed in a hospital with an overnight stay.  While less volume can be liposuctioned safely, the less of the fat that is liposuctioned the less of a change in body form that is produced. Advances in the understanding of fluid management in the care of the patient undergoing liposuction has increased the margin of safety of this procedure. Based upon your current health and medical history, you and your board certified PS need to weigh the options.

Great question!  The reason there are restrictions to the amount of liposuction that can be performed at one time is patient safety.  Removing that much tissue and fluid at one time can make your body unstable and strain to your heart an other organs.  Although you can stay overnight at a hospital to be monitored for higher volumes of removal, its not a guarantee that you will be okay just because you're in a hospital, so why put yourself in that situation?  If you come out of the procedure with permanent health issues just to look better is it really worth it?  These risks need to be discussed with your surgeon if you are considering high volume liposuction.Best of luck and hope this information helps!
- Dr. Roger Tsai  @DrRogerTsai
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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.

Hello and thank you for your question. The short answer is yes. Large volume liposuction requires a period of hospital stay for monitoring. You should discuss all your options with your board-certified plastic surgeon, which could include staging the procedure or weight loss prior to surgery, often associated with better outcomes. Best,

freshmanqueen I appreciate your concern, and it is true that larger volume can be removed if you are hospitalized overnight after the procedure. However, it is safer and you will obtain a better result, if you can lower your weight as much as possible through diet and exercise prior to liposuction. Discuss all options with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area. Good luck.

While Florida has state laws which limit the amount of liposuction which can be performed at one time, Texas will allow large volume liposuction, (over 5 liters). Generally, overnight stay is recommended for large volume liposuction.

Even if you spend the night, the amount removed cannot be increased over the state limit at one time. However, you can come back and treat additional areas.

Thanks for your question. Liposuction limits are designed for patient safety. It is possible to perform large volume (>5 liters) and stay overnight in the hospital for fluid management. However, this isn’t always in the best interest of the patient. It’s best to take it on a case by case basis and discuss the risks and benefits with your surgeon. Best of luck!

I can response specifically for state of Florida since I am and have been practicing here for 40 years. The rules/guidelines from the FL Board of Medicine & most hodpital OR guidelines are as follows for Florida. In certified AAAASF office surgery suites or Ambulatory Surgery Center the max liposuction is 4 liters of supernatant (pure fat, about 7-8 pounds only). Some very very few Florida hospitals allow large volume liposuction upto 8-12 liters. But large volume lipo requires multiple nights stay in hospital, sometimes ICU recovery  because of the large body fluid volume shifts, blood transfusion/s. Thus the expenses for large volume liposuction and now you are adding a BBL. would be in the $25,000+++ ranges. Additionally recovery would be in excess of 6 weeks. To make it more understandable the more lipo out the need for blood transfusions. Maybe this will help you. 

safety limits for the maximum of mount of that to be removed whether by law or as a safety guideline are based on outpatient procedures.  With medical observation more fat can be removed though being observed does not necessarily make that a good idea nor does it necessarily make it safer.  The advantage that observation has is believed to be that fluid shifts can be better managed including the need for intravenous fluids and vital signs can be observed by medical personnel.  Best, Mats Hagstrom MD